THE  PRACTICE 
OF  PRESSWORK 


BY 

CRAIG  R.  SPICHER 


■  ■  *“■■••'  - 


... 


: 


CE  N 


t'L — y 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2018  with  funding  from 
Getty  Research  Institute 


https://archive.org/details/practiceofpresswOOspic 


The  Practice  of 
Presswork 


By 


Craig  R.  Spicher 

(CARD  NO. 36902) 


Instructor  in  Presswork 
Carnegie  Institute 
of  Technology 


Pittsburgh,  Pennsylvania 

1919 


Copyright  1919 
By 

Craig  R.  Spicher 


THE  GETTY  CENTER 


CONTENTS 


Platen  Press  Working  Mechanism .  1 

Platen  Press  Make- Ready .  14 

Cylinder  Press  Working  Mechanism .  38 

Cylinder  Press  Make-Ready  . .  61 

Plate  Process  Printing .  95 

Overlays .  109 

The  Manufacture  of  Printing  Ink .  113 

Practical  Use  of  Printing  Inks .  147 

Composition  Rollers .  163 

Automatic  Feeding .  170 

Paper  Making .  177 

Hand  Composition .  197 

Linotype .  202 

Monotype .  206 

Photoengraving .  209 

Electric  Power .  222 

Bibliography .  232 

Contents .  233 


PREFACE 


THE  object  of  this  book  is  to  give  the  shortest,  best  and 
most  practical  methods  of  Presswork,  with  the  inter¬ 
est  of  the  Pressman  in  view,  and  to  burden  his  mind  as  little 
as  possible  with  unnecessary  technicalities,  and  with  those 
details  which  do  not  bear  directly  upon  every-day  occurance. 

Inasmuch  as  the  subject  matter  is  to  a  large  extent  made 
up  of  hard  facts,  the  task  of  remembering  a  string  of  these 
confronts  the  pressman,  as  soon  as  he  has  mastered  the 
very  rudiments  of  this  intricate,  mechanical  process,  and 
aspires  to  become  more  proficient. 

The  pressman  must  not  only  be  a  mechanic,  but  an 
artist  as  well,  and  rise  to  the  highest  places  in  his  calling. 
It  is  hoped  this  book  will  be  of  service  to  all  who  are  inter¬ 
ested  or  engaged  in  the  printing  trades,  as  well  as  to  the 
pressmen,  for  whom  this  is  especially  written. 

The  want  of  such  a  book  has  long  been  felt.  The  mechan¬ 
ical  details  and  mysterious  methods  of  make-ready  can  not 
be  readily  acquired  unless  the  pressman  has  had  actual 
experience  in  many  establishments  under  men  who  are 
proficient  in  their  various  specialties,  due  to  the  specializa¬ 
tion  of  particular  kinds  of  work. 

As  head  of  the  press  department  of  a  laboratory  of 
printing,  where  no  expense  is  spared  to  secure  results,  and 
with  the  preparation  of  sixteen  years  practise  of  his  trade  in 
representative  printing  plants,  the  writer  feels  that  he  occu¬ 
pies  a  position  of  great  practical  advantage,  in  that  the 
working  out  of  new  ideas  and  the  perfecting  of  processes 
can  proceed  without  the  hindrance  incidental  to  such  work 


in  actual  practice  in  a  productive  and  a  busy  pressroom. 

So  far  as  he  is  aware,  no  treatise  on  presswork  has  yet 
appeared  which  explains,  in  clear,  understandable  language, 
the  relation  existing  between  the  printing  technical  aspects 
of  the  craft  and  the  demands  of  pressroom  practice. 

This  the  author  attempts  to  do  in  the  following  pages. 
Particular  attention  has  been  given  to  the  important  sub¬ 
ject  of  make-ready,  the  terminology  of  presswork  and  the 
various  materials  with  which  the  pressman  has  to  deal. 

In  the  preparation  of  this  work,  the  writer  acknowledges 
his  indebtedness  to  the  following  gentlemen  for  much  prac¬ 
tical  advice  and  assistance,  in  what  would  otherwise  have 
proved  a  very  arduous  task. 

To  Clifford  B.  Connelley,  A.M.,  Sc.D.,  Dean  of  the 
School  of  Applied  Industries,  Carnegie  Institute  of  Tech¬ 
nology,  for  encouragement  in  the  preparation  of  this  book. 

To  Harry  L.  Gage,  Head  of  the  Department  of  Printing, 
John  C.  Martin,  Instructor  in  Typesetting  Machinery,  both 
of  Carnegie  Institute  of  Technology,  for  helpful  suggestions, 
practical  criticism,  and  hearty  co-operation  in  the  multitu¬ 
dinous  details  of  planning,  printing  and  binding. 

To  William  R.  Work,  M.A.,  M.E.  in  E.E. — Associate 
Professor  of  Electrical  Engineering,  Science  School,  Carne¬ 
gie  Tech.,  for  the  contribution  of  electrical  data. 

To  Joseph  T.  Ailing,  President  of  Ailing  and  Cory  Co., 
for  the  material  on  paper  and  its  manufacture. 

To  James  A.  Ullman,  Sec.-Treas.,  Sigmund  Ullman  Co., 
for  the  chapter  on  ink  manufacture. 

To  William  Wunderlich,  Graduate  of  the  Department 
of  Printing,  Carnegie  Tech.,  for  “Hand  Composition.” 

Craig  R.  Spicher 


Pittsburgh,  Penna. 


INTRODUCTION 


GREAT  inventions  are  necessary  to  keep  the  world  up  to 
the  requirements  which  the  ever-growing  demands  set. 
Demands  always  precede  inventions. 

In  no  other  relation  was  this  more  true  than  in  printing. 
In  the  middle  of  the  fifteenth  century,  about  1450,  arose  a 
great  demand  for  more  and  cheaper  books. 

The  monks  had  been  laboriously  writing  and  copying 
manuscripts,  but  their  work  was  necessarily  slow,  and  the 
finished  product  was  available  to  only  a  privileged  few. 
It  was  this  demand  for  more  books  that  led  to  the  invention 
of  typography. 

There  are  different  theories  as  to  the  first  inventor  of 
printing.  It  is  generally  considered  that  John  Gutenberg 
(Gansfleisch)  was  the  pioneer. 

The  impression  from  the  single  carved  block  had  long 
been  used,  and  it  was  only  a  step  to  the  idea  of  many  char¬ 
acters  cut  separately  so  they  could  be  put  together  in  any 
combinations  which  the  language  required. 

Gutenberg  used  a  simple  bed  and  platen  hand  press  which 
was  made  of  wood.  Two  upright  timbers  were  stayed  to¬ 
gether  at  the  top  and  bottom  with  cross-timbers.  A  third 
cross-timber  supported  the  bed  on  which  the  type  was  placed 
Through  a  fourth  timber  a  wooden  screw  worked.  The 
lower  end  of  the  screw  was  connected  with  the  center  of  a 
projecting  lever;  the  screw  was  used  to  push  the  platen 
down  to  impression,  and  to  raise  it  after  impression. 

After  first  inking  the  form  with  a  ball  of  leather  stuffed 
with  wool,  the  pressman  (printer)  spread  the  sheet  of  paper, 


previously  dampened,  over  it,  laid  a  piece  of  blanket  upon 
the  paper  to  make  the  impression  both  easier  on  the  press 
and  more  legible,  and  finally  grasped  the  lever  and  turned 
the  screw  until  the  platen  squeezed  the  paper  down  on  the 
form.  By  pushing  the  lever  in  the  opposite  direction  the 
screw  slowly  raised  the  platen  from  the  form,  when  the 
printed  sheet  was  removed  and  the  form  inked  again  for 
another  impression. 

The  ordinary  hours  that  a  printer  worked  daily  were 
from  thirteen  to  fourteen.  In  Lyons  a  pressman  must  turn 
off  5350  impressions  a  day.  In  Paris  the  number  was  2650. 

There  are  many  kinds  of  modern  presses,  but  they  can 
be  classified  under  three  respective  heads;  namely,  platen, 
on  which  the  form  and  paper  are  both  on  flat  surfaces; 
cylinder  presses,  characterized  by  a  flat  bed  for  the  form, 
which  reciprocates  under  a  cylinder  that  carries  the  pack¬ 
ing  for  pressure  in  the  printing;  and  rotary  presses,  which 
are  presses  where  the  paper  travels  at  different  angles 
through  the  machine,  over  angle  bars;  the  forms  are  curved 
stereotype  or  electrotyped  plates,  mounted  on  cylinders. 

It  is  true  that  typography  makes  the  message  both 
legible  and  beautiful,  but  it  is  the  Printing  Press  that  gives 
general  circulation  to  the  message. 

The  best  pressmen  are  of  the  artisan  type,  part  me¬ 
chanic,  part  artist,  and  owing  to  the  exigencies  of  the  mod¬ 
ern  pressroom  they  must  be  men  swift  to  think  and  act  in 
their  sphere  of  work. 


THE  PRACTICE  OF  PRESSWORK 

PLATEN  PRESSES 


THERE  are  two  different  kinds  of  presses,  by  which  it  is 
possible  to  obtain  impressions  from  type-forms,  name¬ 
ly,  cylinder  presses  and  the  platen  presses.  The  latter 
style  only  is  the  one  in  which  we  are  interested  at  present. 

It  is  the  writer’s  belief  that  one  should  thoroughly  mas¬ 
ter  the  platen  press  before  he  aspires  to  become  a  cylinder 
pressman.  It  is  the  logical  stepping-stone  to  the  more 
complex  cylinder  press.  I  believe  it  assists  one  greatly  to 
have  this  experience 

Definition.  A  platen  press  is  one  in  which  the  form 
is  locked  up  against  a  bed  and  the  impression  is  delivered 
against  a  smooth,  level  plate  called  a  platen. 

There  are  two  distinct  types,  one  known  as  the  “clam¬ 
shell”  type,  in  which  the  platen  rocks  up  against  the  form; 
the  other,  known  as  the  sliding  platen,  or  universal  type, 
is  one  in  which  the  platen  is  first  placed  parallel  with  the 
bed  and  then  drawn  up  against  it.  Examples  of  the  rocker 
type  are  the  Chandler  &  Price,  and  the  Golding  press;  while 
the  John  Thompson  Colt’s  Armory  press  is  representative 
of  the  other  type. 

Placing  Press.  In  placing  a  platen  press,  it  is  best 
located  where  the  light  can  strike  it  from  the  left  side.  It 
should  be  level  crosswise,  in  direction  of  the  shafts;  but  it 
may  be  inclined  either  forward  or  back,  as  it  will  work 
under  these  conditions  without  detriment.  The  press  should 
be  placed  upon  and  firmly  bolted  to  a  solid  foundation. 

Bed.  The  bed  of  a  printing  press  is  the  part  on  or 


2 


THE  PLATEN  PRESS 


against  which  the  form  is  fastened  or  locked.  It  should  at  all 
times  be  kept  free  from  rust  and  dirt.  There  are  no  adjust¬ 
ments  to  be  made  on  a  platen-press  bed. 

Oiling  the  Press.  Every  oil-hole  should  be  located  and 
never  neglected.  The  press  should  be  oiled  every  morning 
and  the  most  important  oil-holes  should  receive  oil  at  mid¬ 
day.  Do  not  flood  the  press  with  oil.  If  oil  runs  over  the 
part  while  oiling,  wipe  it  off  at  once.  If  there  are  oil  cups, 
give  them  careful  attention;  see  that  they  feed  properly — 
they  are  there  for  a  purpose.  To  neglect  oiling  will  ruin  a 
machine. 

Never  attempt  to  oil  or  clean  a  press  while  it  is  in  motion. 

The  friction-wheel  which  travels  in  the  large  gear  cam¬ 
way  should  always  receive  careful  oiling,  as  this  is  one  of  the 
most  vital  parts,  and  the  one  most  likely  to  wear  if  the  wheel 
does  not  rotate.  This  applies  more  especially  to  Chandler 
&  Price  presses. 

Wipe  the  slides  and  bearings  and  the  gear  and  pinion 
teeth  now  and  then;  or,  better  yet,  do  it,  or  see  that  it  is 
done,  at  regular  intervals,  and  done  well;  rub  hard  and  dry; 
after  this  apply  a  dose  of  clean  oil.  This  advice  is  not  mere 
theory,  but  based  upon  experience. 

Discs.  Discs  should  always  be  kept  clean  and  free  from 
particles  of  dried  ink.  If  there  is  a  center  disc,  this  should 
be  removed  when  washing  up,  especially  for  a  light  color, 
as  ink  will  accumulate  in  the  opening  between  the  two 
discs,  and  change  the  color.  It  will  also  become  gummy  and 
will  not  permit  center  to  rotate. 

Grippers.  Grippers  are  long  steel  fingers,  attached  by 
means  of  bolts,  to  the  gripper  frame,  which,  in  turn,  is 
moved  by  the  mechanism  of  the  press,  causing  the  grippers 
to  close  or  lie  flat  upon  the  platen,  when  the  press  closes. 


WORKING  MECHANISM 


3 


When  taking  an  impression  they  should  always  lie  flat. 

The  grippers  hold  the  sheet  firmly  and  flat  against  the 
tympan,  and  hold  the  sheet  while  form  and  sheet  are  being 
separated.  The  grippers  should  be  moved  as  soon  as  the 
form  is  placed  in  the  press,  to  clear  form  and  bearers. 

Slurs  and  Grippers.  If  a  slur  is  caused  when  the  sheet 
leaves  the  form,  it  is  probably  because  the  grippers  have  not 
sufficient  hold  to  pull  the  sheet  away  all  at  once  and  the 
sheet  pulls  or  partly  peels  off  with  a  dragging  motion  that 
brings  the  slur.  Use  sandpaper — glued  sand  side  out — on 
the  grippers,  at  the  point  where  the  grippers  touch  the 
sheet,  which  will  increase  their  hold.  Strings  through  the 
margins  and  pieces  of  card  carrying  a  cork  glued  to  the 
tympan,  or  strings  extending  into  the  open  portions  of  the 
printing  may  be  used. 

If  a  slur  appears  along  the  upper  portion  of  a  sheet  only, 
it  is  generally  an  indication  that  the  grippers  or  frisket 
fingers  are  biting  the  sheet  too  hard  at  the  bottom  and  not 
hard  enough  at  the  top.  This  can  be  remedied  by  inserting 
cards  to  act  as  washers  between  the  fingers  and  the  face  of 
the  frisket  frame,  thus  throwing  out  the  heels  of  the  fingers 
and  equalizing  the  contact.  Bend  fingers  accordingly. 

If  a  slur  appears  entirely  across  the  face  of  the  platen, 
showing  downward,  it  may  be  caused  by  the  wear  of  the 
bridge  gibs.  On  a  Colt’s  Armory  press  only,  this  can  be 
corrected  by  inserting  packing  between  the  gibs,  which 
travel  upon  the  slides,  and  their  bearing.  Test  with  folio 
paper  for  proper  contact.  Turn  the  press  over  by  hand, 
allowing  gibs  to  slide  over  a  strip  of  folio,  which  will  be  held 
firmly  if  gibs  are  in  proper  adjustment. 

The  Platen.  A  platen  is  the  part  on  which  the  paper 
receives  the  impression  when  make-ready  is  complete. 


4 


THE  PLATEN  PRESS 


The  platen  has  an  adjustment  for  regulating  and  equal¬ 
izing  the  impression,  which  is  accomplished  by  means  of 
impression  screws  situated  beneath  the  platen,  as  explained 
later  in  detail. 

Chases.  Chases  are  made  of  steel,  resembling  a 
frame.  When  the  size  of  a  press  is  designated  the  inside 
measurements  of  the  chase  are  given.  For  instance,  14  x  22 
tells  you  the  size  of  the  press,  denoting  the  maximum  size  of 
the  forms  the  press  will  take. 

Chases  are  secured  to  the  bed  by  a  powerful  hook,  at  the 
top,  directly  in  center  of  bed. 

On  Colt’s  Armory  the  foot  pedal  controls  the  locking 
and  unlocking.  On  Chandler  &  Price  or  Golding  this  is  done 
by  raising  the  hand-lever. 

Chases  become  sprung  if  too  much  pressure  is  used  in 
locking  up  a  form,  which  is  needless.  This  makes  the  form 
springy  and  causes  quads  and  furniture  to  work  up  to  type- 
high,  and  print,  thus  spoiling  numerous  copies. 

Extra  chases  come  with  all  new  machines. 

Gripper  Wrench.  This  wrench  shouid  have  a  proper 
place  in  which  to  be  kept  at  all  times  when  not  in  use,  as 
nearly  every  time  a  form  goes  to  press  it  becomes  necessary 
to  move  the  grippers  one  way  or  another.  If  you  fail  to  use 
the  proper  wrench  the  nuts  become  rounded,  and  in  time 
must  be  replaced  with  new  ones. 

Roller  Stocks.  Two  sets  of  roller  stocks  come  with  a 
new  machine.  A  roller  stock  is  the  core  upon  which  the 
composition  is  cast  by  the  roller-maker.  He  knows  the 
correct  size  to  cast  rollers  without  any  instructions,  as 
there  are  distinctive  features  whereby  he  knows  the  type 
of  press  from  which  the  stocks  have  come. 

Stocks  should  always  be  handled  carefully,  so  as 


WORKING  MECHANISM 


5 


not  to  cause  them  to  become  at  all  bent  or  out  of  true. 

Roller  Trucks.  Roller  trucks  or  carriages  are  attached 
to  the  ends  of  the  roller  stocks.  They  slip  on  over  a  small  key 
and  cause  the  roller  to  rotate  properly.  They  act  as  a 
bearer  also.  Set  trucks  two  points  larger  than  rollers.  To 
do  this,  take  a  straight-edge,  lay  across  roller  and  bearers. 
If  rollers  are  too  large,  note  the  difference  and  paste  or  glue 
strips  of  cardboard  on  the  roller  tracks  or  bearers. 

Number  of  Press.  Each  press  has  a  serial  number, 
which  you  must  state  when  ordering  new  parts  for  a  press. 
The  serial  number  will  be  found  in  one  of  the  upper  corners 
of  the  bed. 

Tympan  Bales.  Tympan  bales  or  clamps  are  attached 
to  the  lower  and  upper  edges  of  the  platen.  These  are  de¬ 
signed  to  clamp  your  tympan  upon  the  face  of  the  platen. 
One  should  be  careful  not  to  spring  them,  as  it  is  very 
necessary  to  have  tympan  stretched  smooth  and  tight. 

Counters.  Counters  are  attached  in  different  places 
on  platen  presses,  according  to  the  style  of  counter. 

Counters  are  very  necessary  to  read  the  number  of 
impressions  made.  The  counter  will  not  register  if  the 
impression  is  thrown  off.  Counters  should  be  kept  well 
oiled.  To  set  a  counter,  start  at  the  far  side  and  turn  until 
the  figure  9  appears,  repeat  this  across  the  counter  so  as  to 
read  99999.  Then,  after  the  first  impression,  the  counter 
will  register  00000. 

Fly-wheel.  The  fly-wheel  may  be  used  for  turning 
the  press  over  by  hand.  In  fact,  it  is  advisable  for  a  beginner 
to  turn  over  by  hand  before  applying  power,  to  see  if  grip¬ 
pers  clear  all  of  form  and  bearers. 

On  the  Chandler  &  Price  and  Golding  presses,  the  fly¬ 
wheel  rotates  from  you;  on  the  Colt’s  press,  toward  you. 


6 


THE  PLATEN  PRESS 


If  the  press  has  no  brake,  do  not  lay  the  palm  of  hand 
on  fly-wheel  to  try  to  stop  quickly.  Take  hold  of  rim  with 
the  fingers  and  let  slide  through  hand.  This  will  not  burn 
the  hands. 

Different  Drives.  There  are  various  kinds  of  drives. 
The  friction  drive  is  the  ideal  drive  in  school  classes,  as 
there  are  no  belts  to  catch  the  students’  wearing  apparel, 
but  such  a  drive  involves  a  certain  amount  of  lost  power. 

The  motor  drive,  which  I  believe  is  the  most  satisfac¬ 
tory,  has  the  motor  resting  directly  on  the  floor,  or  upon  a 
stand  the  height  of  the  pinion  shaft.  It  is  connected  by 
means  of  a  short  belt.  With  the  tight-and-loose  pulleys, 
the  press  may  be  repeatedly  stopped  or  started  without 
opening  or  closing  the  electric  circuit.  The  brake  should  be 
mounted  on  the  belt-shifter  fork,  so  that  one  motion  of  the 
hand  removes  the  power  and  stops  the  press. 

Feed  Table.  The  feed  table  carries  the  stock  for  feed¬ 
ing.  It  should  be  kept  free  from  ink  and  oil  and  should 
never  have  too  much  stock  placed  upon  it,  as  there  is 
always  a  possibility  that  it  may  fall  into  the  press  causing 
breakage.  The  feed  tables  can  be  shifted  to  suit  the  operator. 
A  receiving  table  is  a  table  on  which  the  stock  is  placed 
after  being  printed,  and  is  stationary.  It  should  be  emptied 
frequently  when  running  a  job,  for  the  same  reason  as 
previously  stated. 

Impression  Trip  or  Throw-off.  On  the  universal 

type  press,  the  throw-off,  so  as  not  to  print,  is  accomplished 
by  grasping  the  hand  rod,  which  may  be  operated  in  almost 
any  position  the  press  is  in,  except  when  going  over  on  the 
impression.  The  Chandler  &  Price  has  a  lever  at  the  left 
side  to  throw  off  impression.  The  Golding  press  has  a  han¬ 
dle  at  the  left  side  of  platen  to  trip,  or  take  off  impression. 


JOHN  THOMPSON  [PRESS 


WORKING  MECHANISM 


7 


Guides.  Guides  may  be  quads,  which  I  firmly  believe 
are  far  superior  to  any  other,  for  a  number  of  reasons  as 
explained  later.  The  various  makes  of  patent  guides  are 
permissible,  such  as  Megill’s  Spring-Tongue  Guides,  etc., 
for  very  short  runs  and  non-register  jobs. 

Guides  are  placed  so  sheets  can  be  fed  on  platen  in 
proper  position  and  held  there  to  receive  impression. 

Impression  Adjustments.  On  Universal  type  presses, 
for  setting  the  platen,  take  five  letters  about  72-pt. — M’s 
or  W’s  preferred. 

1.  Measure  with  type-high  gauge  to  ascertain  if 
they  are  correct  height.  If  not,  underlay. 

2.  Lock  one  in  each  corner  of  chase  three  picas 
from  inside  edge,  also  one  in  the  center. 

3.  Place  the  impression  clips  down  about  six 
notches. 

4.  Put  on  tympan  consisting  of  three  thin  sheets 
of  manila,  one  post-card  tag.  Do  not  print  on  this 
tympan  at  any  time.  Keep  it  perfectly  clean. 

5.  Loosen  all  five  jam-nuts  under  platen.  Screw 
them  down  to  allow  room  to  work. 

6.  Pull  impression  on  a  thin  coated  paper,  and 
size  up  impression  on  back  and  face. 

7.  Make  the  impression  even  on  all  letters  except 
the  center  one.  This  you  will  find  a  trifle  strong. 
Change  the  impression  on  the  corners  by  turning 
rods  to  left  to  put  on  impression,  to  right  to  take 
off.  Turn  very  little  at  a  time. 

8.  After  all  letters  have  equal  amount  of  impres¬ 
sion,  turn  back  the  steady  screws  just  snug. 

Universal  Type  Fountain.  The  ductor  roller  re¬ 
ceives  the  ink  from  the  fountain  and  deposits  it  on  the  steel 


8 


THE  PLATEN  PRESS 


distributor  in  a  wide  thin  band  rather  than  in  a  thick  lumpy 
line.  The  flow  is  regulated  from  the  fountain  by  thumb¬ 
screws.  The  ink-fountain  cylinder  is  rotated  by  a  ratchet 
and  pawl,  driven  by  the  crank  wheel. 

When  the  distributor  changer  is  removed,  it  should  be 
placed  horizontally;  if  placed  perpendicularly,  the  weight 
of  the  sleeve  rests  on  the  crescent  and  hollow  screw,  thus 
causing  breakage. 

Forms.  All  forms  should  be  set  or  so  imposed  that  the 
center  of  pressure  shall  not  be  above  the  center  of  the 
platen  shaft  and  the  crank  pins  when  the  latter  are  on  th 
impression. 

The  advantage  of  this  is  that  the  torsional  strain 
is  transmitted  downwardly  and  resisted  by  the  solid  mass 
of  the  frame.  This  strain  is  due  to  the  fact  that  the  cranks 
begin  to  pull  before  the  dead  center  is  reached.  This  is  a 
general  principle  which  applies  equally  well  to  all  styles  of 
platen  presses. 

CHANDLER  &  PRICE  PLATEN 

Adjustments. 

1.  Lock  up  letters  as  before.  Put  on  tympan, 
three  post-cards  and  two  manilas. 

2.  Change  screws  to  regulate  the  impression 
after  loosening  lock  nuts  as  explained  previously. 

3.  After  it  becomes  level,  be  sure  to  turn  up  jam- 
nuts. 

Fountain.  Fountain  is  placed  after  form  is  made 
ready. 

1.  Turn  press  by  hand  with  impression  lever  on 
until  the  form  rollers  reach  the  highest  point  on 
disc. 

2.  Loosen  bolts  connecting  fountain  to  press  and 


CHANDLER  &  PRICE  PRPISS 


WORKING  MECHANISM 


9 


allow  fountain  to  rest  on  rollers  so  that  they  leave 
a  band  of  pressure  about  a  quarter  of  an  inch 
wide,  then  tighten. 

3.  When  fountain  is  not  in  use,  raise  same  so 
rollers  do  not  touch.  In  setting  fountain,  begin  at 
center  and  work  both  ways  with  thumb-screws  and 
never  cut  ink  entirely  dry  on  steel  roller.  Tighten¬ 
ing  screws  pushes  steel  fountain  blade  against  the 
steel  fountain  roller.  Loosening  enlarges  the  open¬ 
ing  and  allows  a  thicker  line  of  ink  to  pass. 

Bearers.  Bearers  can  be  purchased  or  they  may  be 
made  of  small  strips  of  tin  and  wood  the  width  of  the  steel 
of  chase. 

The  wood  strip  should  be  thick  enough  to  bring  its  face 
type-high  when  it  rests  upon  the  chase.  A  strip  of  tin  should 
be  cut  wide  enough  to  cover  the  face  of  the  wood  and  to 
leave  a  side  which  can  be  bent  at  right  angles  and  tacked  to 
the  wood,  still  leaving  a  projecting  edge.  This  edge  locks 
into  the  form  against  the  edge  of  the  chase. 

The  Golding  Fountain.  The  Golding  fountain  is 
called  a  brayer  fountain.  The  ink  supply  is  regulated  by 
the  thumb-screws  on  the  clamp.  The  two  small  screws 
press  the  tank  against  the  cylinder,  reducing  the  supply. 
The  one  large  screw  draws  the  fountain  from  the  cylinder, 
increasing  the  supply. 

To  accumulate  the  greatest  amount  of  ink  on  any  par¬ 
ticular  side  of  the  disc,  give  the  disc  large  or  small  movement. 

When  working  a  small  form  requiring  a  very  little  ink, 
reduce  the  length  of  the  stroke  by  changing  position  of  collar 
on  upper  end  of  rod.  To  stop  ink  supply,  turn  up  the 
pawl  or  take  “dog”  off. 

This  fountain  can  be  very  readily  taken  apart,  and  the 


IO 


THE  PLATEN  PRESS 


brayer  or  small  ductor  roller  can  be  thrown  out  of  commis¬ 
sion  by  latching  up. 

The  Golding  has  an  additional  disc  underneath  for  tint 
blocks,  etc.,  which  removes  form  marks  from  rollers.  This 
can  be  easily  be  thrown  in  or  out  of  gear. 

Golding  Impression  Adjustments.  The  Golding 
platen  is  actuated  by  a  toggle  movement. 

The  impression  is  changed  by  the  use  of  a  wedge  both 
top  and  bottom,  the  entire  width  of  platen. 

Lock  up  in  chase,  letters  as  previously  explained. 

1.  For  tympan,  two  government  post-card  ma- 
nilas  and  two  thin  manila  sheets. 

2.  The  impression  is  regulated  by  the  two  thumb¬ 
screws  at  the  right-hand  side  of  platen.  Turn  them 
inward  to  put  on,  and  outward  to  take  off  impres-  ' 
sion. 

3.  Bring  the  platen  to  a  perpendicular  position 
when  changing  impression.  The  impression  regu¬ 
lators  control  the  impression  at  the  top  or  bottom  of 
platen  from  end  to  end.  The  check-nuts  should  be 
set  firmly  when  perfectly  level. 

Supplies.  The  supplies  necessary  in  a  platen  press 
room  are: 

Manila  wrapping  paper,  24  x  36 — 40  lbs. 

Government  post-card  manila,  22  x  28 — 140  lbs. 

The  post-card  should  be  cut  various  sizes  to  suit  the 
different  platens,  also  the  manila  wrapper  which  is  placed 
in  the  tympan  bales. 

Pressboard,  16-pt. 

A  pair  of  scissors. 

Good  oil-stone. 

Small  paste-jar. 


GOLDING  PRESS 


WORKING  MECHANISM 


ii 


Rubber  bands. 

Ball  of  wrapping  twine. 

Screwdriver. 

Two-  and  three-em  10-pt.  quads  for  guides. 

Several  sheets  No.  2  sandpaper. 

A  Cold  Glue.  A  cold  glue  is  made  by  dissolving 
over  night,  brown  pulverized  glue  in  acetic  acid.  Then  add 
a  few  drops  of  glycerine.  This  glue  is  always  ready  for  use 
and  will  adhere  to  metal  surfaces. 

Overlay  Knife.  1.  Secure  a  piece  of  soft  straight¬ 
grained  wood  five  inches  long,  one  inch  wide,  and  one- 
half  inch  in  thickness. 

2.  Saw  a  slot  in  the  center  of  the  one-half  inch 
side,  about  two  and  one-half  inches  in  length. 

3.  Use  jack-knife  to  taper  down  the  sides  of  end 
which  contains  the  sawed  grooves. 

4.  Then  round  off  the  corners  of  the  other  end  to 
make  a  handle.  Use  fine  sandpaper  to  smooth 
off  handle. 

5.  Then  procure  an  old  hack-saw  blade  which  is 
hardened  on  both  edges.  Place  in  slot  and  allow 
to  extend  beyond  wood  about  one  and  one-half 
inches.  Glue  the  blade. 

6.  Then  take  about  nine  feet  of  linen  cord,  double 
one  end  to  the  length  of  about  eight  inches.  Lay 
the  loop  upon  the  handle  end  about  two  inches 
from  end  of  slot  and  down,  letting  the  short  end 
extend  beyond  end  of  blade  four  inches.  Now 
don’t  allow  a  twist.  Start  to  wind  the  long  cord, 
very  tightly,  close  together  until  you  have  reached 
the  end  of  sawed  slot.  Place  this  end  through  the 
loop  and  grasp  the  other  end  of  cord  and  pull  until 


12 


THE  PLATEN  PRESS 


the  loop  is  about  half-way  under  the  wrapped 
portion  of  knife.  Cut  off  both  ends  of  the  cord. 

7.  Put  initials  with  lead  pencil  upon  handle  and 
then  give  two  or  three  coats  of  shellac. 

8.  Grind  upon  emery  wheel  to  a  sharp  point. 
Finish  on  emery  cloth  and  fine  oil-stone.  Here  you 
have  an  ideal  knife,  the  most  useful  tool  in  the 
pressman’s  equipment. 

Inking  up  a  Platen  Press.  Before  you  place  form  in 
press,  put  the  ink  on  the  disc  and  distribute  it  thoroughly. 
After  form  is  inked  and  you  are  running  the  job,  place  ink 
on  the  side  of  disc  that  is  revolving  up;  this  eliminates  the 
possible  chance  of  big  “gobs”  of  ink  being  carried  over 
type  by  rollers,  thereby  filling  up  the  letters,  and  causing  a 
dark  spot  to  be  printed  for  several  impressions. 

Washing  up  Platen  Presses.  After  removing  form 
and  cleaning  same  with  a  good  stiff  brush  and  gasoline,  wipe 
thoroughly  with  cloth,  as  dirty  furniture,  leads,  and  type 
cause  no  end  of  trouble  in  time. 

Then  distribute  kerosene  on  press,  clean  the  worst  off  with 
a  soiled  cloth,  then  finish  cleaning  with  a  clean  cloth.  This 
clean  cloth  is  usually  the  soiled  one  to  start  with  next  time. 
Be  sure  to  remove  all  tiny  specks  of  scum  and  hard  ink, 
as  these  cannot  be  removed  at  a  later  date  if  rollers  are  to 
stand  long.  Finally,  give  them  a  coat  of  machine  oil. 

The  proper  way  to  wash  rollers  on  a  C.  &  P.  or  Golding 
after  oiling  with  kerosene,  is  to  start  by  bringing  rollers 
up  on  disc.  Then  wash  bottom  roller  having  it  clear  of  the 
disc.  Clean  thoroughly,  then  turn  press.  Clean  second  one 
in  this  position,  and  repeat  on  third  one;  then  wash  disc. 

On  universal  type  press,  start  rollers  down  so  that  latch 
lifts  rollers  from  cylinder.  Wash  all  three  in  this  position, 


WORKING  MECHANISM 


13 


then  wash  distributing  rollers.  Next,  turn  press  so  rollers 
resume  downward  stroke,  and  wash  the  steel  cylinder,  as 
wide  a  band  at  a  time  as  you  can. 

Putting  in  Form.  Exercise  great  care  in  placing  form, 
so  as  not  to  strike  it  against  some  part  of  press. 

Always  place  quoins  up.  For  a  great  many  reasons, 
quoins  should  never  be  at  guide  edges.  The  stoneman  always 
squares  up  from  the  guides.  If  form  is  removed  for  cor¬ 
rections  or  changes  its  position  can  very  easily  be  changed 
unknowingly.  Then,  too,  this  is  the  safest  rule.  For  special 
reasons,  occasionally,  the  quoins  may  have  to  be  at  bottom. 

Grippers.  See  that  they  clear  ALL  of  form, 
bearers,  etc.,  before  ever  taking  an  impression. 

Tympans.  Tympans  should  be  hard  and  thin.  A 
thick  one  soon  becomes  indented,  forming  a  matrix  and  the 
sharp  edges  of  type  and  cuts  are  rapidly  worn  away. 

Have  thin  manila  tympan  sheets  cut  proper  size  and 
handy  to  press.  Put  two  thin  manilas  in  tympan  bales 
first.  Then  clamp  same.  Place  a  manila  post-card  (cut 
proper  size)  underneath.  Next,  stretch  tympan  tight  and 
clamp  under  the  upper  bale.  This  is  your  tympan. 

DON’TS 

Don’t  make  ready  with  a  press  speeded  too  high. 

Don’t  neglect  to  oil  moving  parts  frequently. 

Don’t  go  away  and  leave  the  machine  running. 

Don’t  touch  gripper  fingers  when  press  is  in  motion. 

Don’t  put  heavy  impression  out  of  center  of  platen. 

Don’t  let  the  machine  become  covered  with  ink. 

Don’t  run  the  machine  faster  than  it  can  be  fed. 


PLATEN  PRESS  MAKE-READ|Y 


TEN  PLATEN  PRESS  RULES 

1.  If  job  is  to  be  printed  on  bond  paper,  or  ma¬ 
chine-finished  paper,  use  a  stiff  ink,  bond  paper 
black.  On  cover  stock  use  cover  inks.  On  all  enamels 
or  coated  paper  use  half-tone  inks,  or  inks  that  are 
not  too  stiff,  to  avoid  picking. 

2.  Place  tympan  on  press,  using  two  sheets  man- 
ila  wrapper,  in  tympan  bales  or  clamps,  and  post¬ 
card  manila  for  packing  underneath. 

3.  Place  form  in  carefully,  quoins  at  top,  unless 
otherwise  informed.  See  if  form  will  clear  gripper 
(frisket)  fingers,  and  that  fingers  clear  bearers. 

4.  Print  on  tympan.  Take  a  sheet,  and  measure 
up  position.  Also  notice  impression,  and  change  if 
necessary.  Place  bottom  guides  rather  close  to  corners 
of  sheet,  and  side  guide  below  center  of  sheet. 

5.  Don’t  forget  to  make  ready  with  post-card 
manila  on  top,  even  if  you  intend  to  use  a  draw  sheet. 

6.  Use  draw  sheets  only  on  big  runs  of  color 
covers,  and  half-tone  jobs. 

7.  Place  strings  when  needed  on  grippers  to 
clear  all  printed  matter.  After  position  is  correct, 
then  proceed  to  make  ready. 

8.  On  all  billheads,  envelopes,  letterheads,  cir¬ 
culars  or  cards,  do  all  your  patching  on  tympan  under¬ 
neath  post-card.  When  made  ready  paste  this  card 
on  the  tympan  at  the  guide  edges  only. 


MAKE-READY 


15 

9.  On  all  cover  colors,  half-tone  jobs,  large  forms 
and  register  jobs,  get  proper  impression;  then  print 
sheet  on  top  post-card  manila  to  allow  for  draw  sheet. 
After  position  is  correct,  proceed  to  mark  out  and 
patch  up.  Print  on  bottom  sheet  and  match  overlay 
thereon.  Cut  out  all  leaders,  if  any  on  first  sheet. 
If  second  sheet  is  necessary,  put  it  on.  Finish  make- 
ready  on  top  tympan  sheet.  Then  put  on  tight  draw 
and  place  guides. 

10.  SAFETY  FIRST. 

Making  Ready  Business  Card.  1.  Put  on  the 
tympan  and  ink  up  with  bond  paper  black. 

2.  Place  the  form  in,  quoins  up,  see  all  clears, 
then  print  impression  on  the  manila  tympan. 

3.  Stop  press;  take  card  and  mark  out  on  tympan 
correct  position  to  print  the  card,  by  laying  edge  of 
card  along  the  longest  line  perfectly  parallel  with 
same,  then  sighting  for  the  position  sideways. 
Draw  straight  line  along  left-hand  side  of  card. 

4.  Now  crease  card  in  center  and  have  the  crease 
come  at  the  bottom  of  name.  Make  a  dot  on  the 
tympan  at  the  top  edge  of  the  card.  Then  place 
card  over  to  left  side  parallel  with  your  pencil  mark. 
Using  this  for  a  square,  draw  bottom  line.  Now 
mark  position  of  guides,  have  the  bottom  guides  a 
half-inch  or  so  in  from  the  corners,  side  guide  below 
the  center  of  card  sideways. 

5.  Secure  small  piece  of  manila  Card,  place  into 
guides,  put  card  on  top  and  print  one  impression. 

6.  Measure  to  center  sidewise  and  move  guide  if 
necessary.  Measure  up  and  down.  Always  on 
cards  have  center  of  type  a  trifle  above  center  of 


16  PLATEN  PRESS 

card.  If  name  only,  have  bottom  of  line  on  center 
of  card. 

7.  On  this  same  sheet  examine  for  correct  amount 
of  impression.  Don’t  get  position,  then  impression. 
Both  should  be  done  at  once,  to  save  stock  and 
time. 

8.  If  any  letters  need  patching,  lift  card  and 
patch  on  top  of  thin  manila  on  which  you  have 
a  printed  impression.  If  one  line  or  part  of  line 
needs  a  tissue,  place  it  on,  being  very  careful 
to  use  only  a  little  paste  on  the  outer  edges  only. 

9.  Get  ink  or  color  just  right  and  submit  for  O.K. 

10.  If  O.K.,  paste  the  manila  card  on  top  at  the 
guide  edges  only,  and  only  on  the  extreme  edges, 
at  two  sides  and  one  spot  under  the  upper  right- 
hand  corner. 

Make-ready  is  complete.  If  you  rub  the  manila 
card  with  an  oily  rag,  stock  will  slide  much 
more  easily.  Watch  your  color;  keep  it  even.  See 
that  guides  do  not  move  from  the  card  on  top.  In 
feeding,  don’t  leave  finger  marks  on  cards,  and 
feed  every  card  up  to  guides. 

Make-ready  Letterhead.  Usually  bond  paper. 

1.  Put  on  tympan,  two  thin  manilas,  card  under. 

2.  Put  form  in,  having  it  locked  head  down.  See 
that  grippers  clear. 

3.  Pull  impression  on  top  manila.  Take  sheet  of 
stock,  center  it  on  the  longest  line.  Using  bottom 
of  the  longest  line  for  a  straight-edge,  draw  line  at 
left  side.  Then  get  an  idea  how  far  from  top  it  is 
to  be  printed,  say,  for  example,  a  half-inch.  Then 
make  a  dot  or  short  line  here;  then  place  sheet  over 


MAKE-READY 


17 


to  first  line,  which  is  straight  with  printed  impres¬ 
sion  and  up  to  dot  or  small  line.  Then  draw  line  en¬ 
tire  width  of  sheet. 

4.  If  inch  width  sheet  is  being  printed  place 
guides  \  x/2  inches  in  from  each  corner,  side  guide 
about  3  inches  up  from  bottom  guides. 

5.  Guides  may  be  either  spring-tongue  or  quads.  If 
quads,  cut  tongues  of  small  lengths  of  pressboard 
say  an  inch  and  a  half  long,  three-eighths  of  an 
inch  wide.  Cut  slits  about  one  pica  below  the  guide 
edge  and  close  up  to  quads.  Put  a  bit  of  paste  or 
glue  on  the  strips  and  insert  one  in  each  slit  with  an 
end  extending  up,  but  not  far  enough  to  interfere 
with  print. 

6.  Cut  another  manila  card  just  one  and  one-half 
inches  shorter  than  letterhead  stock  the  long  way,  a 
little  wider  than  the  width  of  stock. 

7.  Put  card  up  to  guides  with  sheet  of  stock  upon 
same,  pull  an  impression. 

8.  Measure  up  for  position.  Make  guide  moves  as 
desired,  but  be  sure  you  move  guides  in  the  correct 
direction.  By  raising  or  lowering  card  the  amount 
you  wish  to  move,  you  can  then  move  guides  to 
edge  of  sheet.  This  eliminates  guesswork. 

9.  Now  examine  the  impression ;  if  it  needs  another 
card,  put  it  on.  If  it  requires  less,  do  not  remove 
top  card,  but  remove  the  one  under  the  two  thin 
manilas. 

10.  If  necessary,  reduce  the  amount  of  ink,  or  add 
more,  as  the  need  may  be. 

11.  Tie  strings  across  from  gripper  to  gripper  to 
hold  sheet.  Use  care  not  to  let  cord  touch  form. 


i8 


PLATEN  PRESS 


12.  Pull  another  impression  on  other  end  of  first 
sheet  used,  if  clean.  Examine  same  as  before. 
Patch  letters  if  needed,  with  folio;  don’t  allow 
patch  to  extend  over  on  another  letter.  If  certain 
portions  need  a  tissue,  add  it. 

Do  all  this  patching  on  impression  under  loose 
card.  Then  get  a  good  clean  print  and  submit  to 
proper  person  for  O.K.  If  O.K.,  paste  card  only  on 
the  two  guide  edges  and  right-hand  top  corner. 
Now  you  are  ready  to  run. 

Make-ready  Two  Type  Pages.  1.  Use  tympan 
of  two  thin  sheets  of  manila,  post-card  underneath. 

2.  Distribute  proper  ink  on  press.  If  bond  paper  is 
used,  bond-paper  black  ink  is  required;  if  machine- 
finished  paper,  an  ordinary  job  black  may  be  used. 
If  coated  or  enameled  paper  is  specified  on  this 
particular  job,  half-tone  ink  should  be  used,  since 
any  other  heavy-bodied  ink  would  pick  the  surface 
of  the  coated  stock,  showing  white  specks  here  and 
there,  especially  on  large  black  letters. 

3.  Place  form  in  press,  quoins  up.  See  that  grip¬ 
pers  clear  all. 

4-  Pull  an  impression  on  tympan.  Take  sheet, 
place  on  edge  at  the  extreme  left  side  of  printed  im¬ 
pression;  make  a  lead-pencil  mark  on  the  bottom 
edge  of  sheet  at  the  extreme  right-hand  corner  of 
sheet;  fold  over  edge  so  as  to  be  in  direct  line  with 
your  lead-pencil  mark,  then  crease.  This  gives 
you  half  of  the  outside  margin — or,  in  other  words, 
the  two  outside  margins  of  both  pages. 

5.  Place  this  folded  crease  at  the  outer  right-hand 
side  of  printed  impression,  making  it  parallel  with 


MAKE-READY 


19 


the  bottom  of  the  two  top  lines  of  the  page.  Draw 
a  line  at  the  left-hand  side  of  sheet  on  tympan  the 
entire  length  of  sheet.  Then,  placing  sheet  so  as  to 
secure  correct  position,  top  and  bottom,  make  a 
line  or  dot.  Now  lay  sheet  parallel  with  the  lead- 
pencil  mark  on  left-hand  side  and  up  to  the  dot  or 
line  at  top,  using  the  lead-pencil  line  to  square  it, 
and  draw  a  line  on  tympan  the  full  width  of  sheet 
at  the  top. 

6.  Place  guides  up  to  the  pencil  line  near  the  outer 
corners  of  the  top  of  sheet,  and  below  the  center  of 
sheet  for  side  guide. 

7.  Place  an  additional  post-card  manila  on  top  up 
to  guides.  Put  in  sheet;  pull  one  impression.  If 
there  is  not  space  enough  to  make  use  of  grippers 
to  separate  sheet  from  form,  and  not  allow  it  to 
get  on  rollers,  use  string  between  grippers  stretched 
tight  and  tied  securely.  It  must  be  in  margins  or 
clear  the  outer  edges  of  printed  matter. 

8.  Now  measure  up  for  correct  position.  If  nec¬ 
essary,  make  moves  on  the  guides. 

9.  Examine  the  sheet  to  see  if  it  requires  additional 
or  less  impression;  act  accordingly.  Pull  another 
impression,  and  if  possible  put  a  sheet  of  the  stock 
the  job  is  to  be  printed  on  underneath  the  top 
card. 

10.  After  position  is  O.K.,  if  it  requires  some 
patching,  mark  it  out  from  back,  by  holding  up  to 
light.  Draw  your  lead-pencil  lines  to  the  very 
edge  of  where  the  impression  begins  to  show  weak. 
Draw  big  patches  first  and  so  on  down,  using  great 
care  not  to  overdo  it.  Patch  up  on  back  of  sheet, 


20 


PLATEN  PRESS 


using  tissue  only;  make  your  patches  come  to  the 
lines.  Be  careful  to  use  very  little  paste;  too  much 
causes  the  packing  to  swell,  thereby  causing  it  to 
print  much  heavier  in  such  a  spot. 

11.  If  you  are  using  spring- tongue  guides,  raise  top 
tympan  clamp  and  insert  this  make-ready  sheet 
between  the  two  thin  manilas.  Be  careful  to  get 
up  exact  to  all  guides.  It  needs  no  paste.  Then 
clamp  in  tympan  again. 

12.  Put  card  back  on;  pull  another  impression  on 
sheet  of  stock.  If  any  letter,  or  a  line  or  a  corner, 
here  or  there,  needs  a  patch,  put  these  patches 
right  underneath  the  card. 

13.  When  all  is  O.  K.,  paste  down  the  card,  on 
guide  edges  only,  and  one  spot  under  the  right  top 
corner. 

14.  Proceed  with  job.  Keep  hands  clean ;  coloreven ; 
watch  for  offset  on  back  of  sheet.  Letters  may 
break  off,  or  pull  out.  If  you  have  very  little  room 
to  grasp  sheet  to  take  out,  take  small  strip  of  sand¬ 
paper  and  fasten  with  a  rubber  band  on  middle 
finger  of  left  hand.  This  will  not  smudge  the  print. 
If  the  stock  can  be  kept  straight,  do  so  by  all 
means.  If  a  long  run  keep  in  ream  lots. 

If  you  have  a  number  of  forms  of  same  size  on 
same  job,  you  can  have  all  forms  locked  up  alike, 
meaning  with  same  furniture  on  guide  edges. 
This  will  eliminate  securing  position  each  time, 
and  all  that  is  necessary  is  to  withdraw  the  make- 
ready  sheet  you  spotted  up  with  patches,  substi- 
stute  a  blank,  print  one  for  position  O.K.,  then 
print  one  for  make-ready,  mark  out  as  before,  re- 


MAKE-READY 


21 


move  the  blank  sheet  between  the  thin  manilas, 
and  put  in  your  make-ready  sheet.  All  should  be 
O.K.  then.  If  not,  put  your  small  patches  on 
printed  side  of  mark-out  sheet. 

Make-ready  of  Envelope  Corner.  On  long  runs  we 
usually  make  ready  an  envelope  corner  with  the  flap  closed. 
On  good  work  and  short  runs,  make  ready  with  the  flap 
open. 

Envelopes  are  usually  made  of  bond  paper  or  rag  paper. 
Both  require  bond  black  or  equally  stiff  ink. 

1.  Put  on  two  thin  sheets  of  manila,  with  card 
underneath. 

2.  Pull  an  impression  on  tympan.  Measure  up 
position  so  the  printed  matter  comes  as  specified. 

3.  Put  on  an  additional  card  after  guides  are  placed. 

Pull  an  impression,  move  the  guides,  and  get  pro¬ 
per  amount  of  squeeze. 

4.  After  position  is  O.K.,  and  not  until  then, 
can  you  make  ready.  Take  envelope  to  a  light,  a 
window  or  overlay  table  containing  light  so  as  to 
show  the  seams  or  lapped  edge  of  the  envelope.  If 
impression  is  just  right  on  the  flap  and  too  heavy 
on  the  double  seam,  cut  down  the  seam  on  envelope 
with  overlay  knife,  and  cut  around  edge  of  flap 
where  the  printed  matter  runs  off  from  same. 

5.  Paste  this  piece  on  the  tympan  in  exact  register, 
so  the  edge  of  flap  and  this  piece  will  meet  exactly. 

6.  The  idea  is  to  have  an  even  and  uniform  impress¬ 
ion  over  the  entire  form  on  envelope.  Therefore, 
you  must  cut  out  for  seams,  etc. 

7.  Then  paste  on  card,  guide  edges  only,  and  pro¬ 
ceed  with  the  job,  after  oiling  card  on  tympan. 


22 


PLATEN  PRESS 


The  Manila  on  Top.  This  manila  is  very  important 
for  these  ordinary  jobs.  It  should  never  be  forgotten  that 
it  buries  your  make-ready.  It  shows  you  plainly  if  the 
guides  have  moved.  If  they  have,  move  them  back  to  edge 
of  card.  It  is  easier  to  feed  on  the  surface  of  the  card.  If 
quads  are  used,  sheets  can  not  cut  under.  If  you  dent  the 
card  with  a  piece  of  wood,  or  small  particles  of  dirt,  only 
change  the  card.  If  you  must  back  up  a  job  soon,  oil 
and  change  the  card  often  or  when  necessary.  It  also  gives 
you  a  hard  packing. 

Always  use  the  same  kind  of  packing.  This  saves  val¬ 
uable  time,  and  you  become  accustomed  to  working  with 
these  required  thicknesses  of  paper,  and  know  just  what 
they  will  do.  They  are  not  expensive,  and  the  make-ready 
always  looks  neat,  which  is  a  requisite  to  good  workmanship. 

Make-ready  of  Type  and  Rule  Borders.  1.  Put  on 
tympan  of  two  thin  manilas,  with  card  underneath. 

2.  Distribute  the  proper  ink  on  press. 

3.  Place  form  in  press;  see  that  grippers  are  clear. 

4-  Pull  an  impression  on  top  tympan,  and  take 
sheet  of  stock  and  proceed  to  measure  up  for  posi¬ 
tion,  using  method  previously  described. 

5.  Put  card  on  top,  cut  a  little  larger  than  sheet. 

Pull  an  impression.  Move  grippers  or  tie  string 
across  so  you  can  separate  the  sheet  from  form. 

6.  Measure  up  to  secure  proper  position  and  make 
moves  on  guides,  but  be  sure  and  move  card  proper 
distance  up,  if  guide  comes  up,  so  as  to  avoid  mov¬ 
ing  too  far;  if  guides  go  down,  hold  card  flush  with 
guide  and  then  lower  guide  proper  distance  from 
card.  This  eliminates  guessing. 

7.  Examine  this  same  sheet  for  impression.  Alter 


MAKE-READY 


23 


same  if  need  be.  Try  to  have  a  sheet  of  the  stock 
under  this  top  card,  for  make-ready.  Then  pull 
another  impression  on  stock,  and  get  a  position 
O.K. 

8.  If  O.K.,  pull  another  impression  on  stock  or  the 
same  stock  you  have  underneath  card  and  proceed 
to  mark  out  on  the  back. 

9.  Make  your  lead-pencil  line  come  to  the  very 
edge  where  the  impression  starts  to  slope  off  lighter. 
Turn  sheet  to  get  rules  so  you  can  look  at  a  rule 
impression  broadside.  Mark  low  spots,  then  patch 
up  with  tissue.  Be  careful  about  too  much  paste. 

10.  If  you  are  using  spring-tongue  guides,  place 
this  make-ready  sheet  up  to  guides  between  the 
two  thin  manilas.  Be  careful  to  take  out  this  blank 
sheet  which  equals  the  sheet  you  are  inserting 
in  thickness. 

11.  Pull  another  impression,  and  if  any  low  letters 
appear,  patch  up  underneath  the  card,  where  you 
took  first  impression.  If  necessary,  also  add  little 
patches  here  and  there. 

12.  See  that  all  is  printing  even  and  clear  and  clean. 
Paste  card  on  the  guide  edges  only,  and  oil  card. 
Then  go  ahead  with  run. 

13.  Now,  if  the  corners  don’t  come  up,  cut  a  very 
thin  strip  off  your  thin  manila  sheet  the  width  of 
the  joint  which  is  not  printing,  and  paste  the  same 
directly  in  the  opening  under  card.  If  this  does  not 
cause  same  to  print,  the  fault  is  possibly  in  the  rule. 

Make-ready  Type  Pages  with  Leaders.  Make-ready 
on  the  same  principle  except  to  cut  out  all  the  leaders  on 
first  sheet  that  you  patch  up.  This  makes  the  leaders  print 


24 


PLATEN  PRESS 


very  clean  and  does  not  allow  them  to  punch  through  the 
sheet.  This  should  be  done  on  all  jobs  containing  leaders. 

Feeding  a  Job.  One  of  the  first  requisites  is  clean 
hands,  and  if  hands  are  dry,  a  little  glycerine  can  be  rubbed 
on  the  fingers,  except  for  enameled  paper  or  other  glazed 
surfaces.  Do  not  wet  the  fingers  in  the  mouth,  as  dust, 
particles  of  paper,  pigment,  sizing,  etc.,  are  detrimental  to 
one’s  health.  Feed  every  sheet  up  to  the  guides. 

When  placing  stock  on  feed-board,  be  absolutely  certain 
that  stock  is  right  side  up.  There  is  a  right  and  wrong  side 
to  all  paper  except  coated  or  enamel.  You  can  see  the  fine 
screen,  or  wire  side  of  paper  if  you  look  at  it  in  a  strong 
light.  This  is  the  wrong  side  and  should  be  the  blank  on  all 
jobs  that  are  printed  on  one  side,  and  the  least  important 
on  jobs  that  print  two  sides.  This  is  particularly  important 
when  running  cover  stock. 

Watching  a  Job.  Watch  the  color.  If  possible  have 
a  sheet  laid  aside  with  “color  O.K.”  marked  thereon  and 
compare  frequently.  Watch  for  spaces;  letters  may  pull 
out,  etc.  Also  see  that  sheets  do  not  offset.  A  job  should 
always  be  kept  piled  up  straight  if  it  will  permit.  Otherwise 
lay  sheets  around  as  delivered  from  press,  and  not  too  many 
on  one  stack.  If  they  offset  still,  reduce  the  amount  of 
color,  or  if  absolutely  necessary,  slipsheet;  but  remember 
that  slipsheeting  runs  the  cost  of  the  job  up. 

Make-ready  of  Zinc  Etching.  Begin  as  previously 
stated,  as  all  type,  rules,  and  zinc  etchings  are  marked  out 
from  the  back  to  even  up  the  impression.  If  you  can  not 
see  the  printed  impression  well,  put  on  more  impression  so 
you  can  see  a  faint  impression  on  back  of  sheet,  when  you 
hold  it  up  to  light,  or  over  mark-out  board. 

Make-ready  Two-color  Forms.  Always  print  the  key 


MAKE-READY 


25 


form  first  if  possible.  The  key  form  is  the  one  containing 
the  most  type  or  design.  Then  after  this  is  run,  it  is  easy  to 
register  in  the  color  with  the  aid  of  the  guides,  outlines  of  the 
design,  etc. 

Make-ready  Form  of  Type  Containing  Perforating 
Rule.  Take  form  before  putting  in  press;  cut  a  four-ply 
card  and  paste  on  back  of  form  on  each  side  of  the  perfor¬ 
ating  rule,  covering  all  type  to  be  printed.  Lay  form  on  a 
stone,  unlock  slightly,  and  plane  down.  This  allows  the  type 
to  come  up  and  the  rule  to  be  lowered,  and  you  can  make 
up  for  this  difference  by  putting  an  overlay  of  very  narrow 
card  on  tympan  where  the  perforating  rules  strike.  This 
will  save  rollers  from  being  ruined  by  the  steel  rule.  But  if 
possible,  perforate  alone  with  rollers  out  of  press. 

Cutting  on  Platen  Press.  Cutting  rule  should  be 
locked  up,  preferably  for  universal  type  of  press.  Rollers 
should  be  removed.  Lower  the  impression  clips,  as  the  im¬ 
pression  is  regulated  entirely  and  with  perfect  evenness  by 
the  amount  of  tympan  carried  and  by  the  latches  or  clips, 
which  hold  the  throw-off  lever.  These  latches  have  tongues 
fitting  in  groves  in  the  arcs  on  the  bridge,  making  a  slip 
impossible — even  if  the  lock-nuts  work  loose.  By  the  use  of 
these  latches  you  can  raise  or  lower  the  platen,  one  notch 
being  equal  to  one  post-card  manila.  Lower  the  platen 
considerably  and  glue  on  an  old  copper  half-tone  face  down 
under  a  tight  heavy  manila.  Turn  over  by  hand,  and  pull 
an  impression.  Then  cut  the  draw  sheet  beside  cutting  rule, 
so  as  to  allow  one  pica  of  bare  copper  to  show.  Set  the 
guides  and  proceed  to  run.  If  necessary  to  increase  im¬ 
pression  to  make  a  clear  cut,  add  folio  as  needed  on  back  of 
form.  Copper  is  soft  and  will  not  injure  or  dull  the  steel 
cutting  rule  so  quickly  as  other  harder  metals. 


26 


PLATEN  PRESS 


Gold  Bronzing.  The  job  is  made  ready  same  as  in¬ 
structed  on  type  or  rule  forms.  But  if  for  a  close-register 
job,  don’t  fail  to  use  quads  for  guides.  Instead  of  ordinary 
ink,  use  gold  size.  The  proper  way  to  tell  if  you  have  enough 
ink  on  is  this:  if  the  bronze  will  sparkle  very  brightly  after 
it  is  dusted  on,  you  can  rest  assured  enough  ink  is  being 
carried.  The  bronze  should  be  put  on  the  print  with  the  aid 
of  a  tuft  of  cotton,  or  bronzing  brush.  Do  not  leave  too 
much  bronze  powder  on  the  sheet.  Final  cleaning  should 
remove  all  powder  except  on  printed  impression. 

Scoring.  To  score  means  to  crease  or  crush  a  line  on  the 
sheet,  so  that  it  may  be  folded  more  readily  and  without 
breaking  on  back  of  folded  crease.  For  all  dance  programs 
and  cover  stocks,  lock  up  two  brass  rules  with  a  2-pt.  lead 
between,  using  rules  a  half-inch  longer  than  the  sheet  you 
intend  to  score.  Take  rollers  out  of  press,  and  put  on  a 
regular  tympan.  Take  a  brayer  or  finger  and  ink  up  these 
rules;  then  take  an  impression  on  tympan.  Secure  a  linen 
string  and  glue  with  cold  glue,  then  put  it  upon  tympan 
exactly  between  the  impression  of  the  rules.  Paste  a  folio 
an  inch  wide  over  the  string.  Pull  several  impressions  on 
any  waste  stock.  Set  your  guides  and  run.  Feed  stock  in 
with  outside  of  cover  up.  The  heavier  the  stock  the  wider 
you  place  the  rules  apart.  This  method  of  scoring  is  far 
superior  to  any  other,  since  it  allows  the  stock  to  lie  per¬ 
fectly  flat  after  scoring,  and  the  amount  of  impression  never 
changes. 

Make-ready  Imitation  Typewriter  Form.  The  form 

should  be  locked  up  and  a  stone  proof  pulled  to  ascertain 
if  there  are  any  corrections.  If  not,  unlock,  and  place  a 
piece  of  china  silk  across  form,  rather  loosely.  Do  not 
stretch.  Lock  up  with  the  ends  of  silk  fastened  by  placing 


MAKE-READY 


27 


the  wood  furniture  up  against  silk  and  type.  Use  the  proper 
ink.  If  none  can  be  had,  take  a  good  purple  and  thin  with 
tint  base  or  thin  varnish  and  distribute  carefully  before 
putting  form  in  press.  Then  put  form  in  and  put  the  regular 
tympan  on.  Pull  an  impression  and  proceed  to  get  position 
on  tympan.  Then  place  guides,  and  get  impression  on  sheet 
for  position  O.K.  Then  pull  sheet  for  mark-out  on  back. 
Pull  this  a  sheet  heavy  so  you  can  see  impression  better. 
Mark  out  and  patch  carefully.  Put  this  in  between  the 
two  thin  sheets,  and  if  necessary,  put  a  few  tissues  under 
top  card.  After  impression  is  even,  take  a  piece  of  80-lb., 
25  x  38  stock,  cut  a  very  narrow  strip,  say,  nonpareil  wide, 
and  paste  a  small  piece  on  all  periods  only.  Be  sure  and  not 
to  get  this  on  other  letters. 

This  is  to  imitate  the  typewriter,  as  a  typewriter  always 
punches  the  periods.  No  impression  should  show  on  the 
type.  Keep  color  sheet  handy  for  comparison.  If  they  are 
to  be  filled  in  by  typewriter,  get  a  sample  for  color  from  the 
typewriter  to  be  used  for  filling  in. 

Half-tone  Make-ready  on  Universal. 

1.  Put  half-tone  black  ink  on  press.  Distribute 
thoroughly. 

2.  Put  on  a  tympan  of  two  thin  manilas  and  a 
post-card  tag  underneath. 

3.  Pull  an  impression  and  set  guides  temporarily 
and  secure  position  O.K.  This  is  done  to  see  if  form 
is  made  up  properly.  See  if  all  half-tones  are  square 
on  pages,  and  if  all  corrections  have  been  made. 

4.  Remove  guides,  and  place  a  sheet  or  two  of 
stock  to  be  run  on  top  of  tympan.  Lower  the  im¬ 
pression  clips  if  need  be. 

5.  Then  put  a  card  on  top  and  pull  an  impression 


28 


PLATEN  PRESS 


on  a  sheet  of  stock.  See  if  cuts  are  all  type-high. 
If  not,  lock  rollers  up  and  lean  form  front.  If  any 
cut  is  low  on  one  side,  put  a  strip  of  paper  down  the 
back  of  that  particular  cut.  If  any  cuts  are  a  sheet 
low,  put  a  sheet  in  back  of  same. 

6.  Print  another  sheet  and  mark  out  all  type  from 
back.  But  all  half-tone  cuts  mark  out  from  the 
face.  Put  on  patches  only  where  the  screen  looks 
broken.  Draw  your  big  patches  first,  taking  all 
your  weak  spots  in  one  big  patch,  and  then  on 
inside  the  large  mark,  bearing  in  mind  all  the  time 
not  to  put  any  more  tissues  on  highlights  than  is 
necessary  as  the  highlights  are  the  white  lights  and 
will  wear.  The  dark  portions  or  solids  will  not 
show  any  wear.  In  marking  out  this  sheet,  use  the 
standard  marks,  so  that  any  feeder  can  readily 
patch  up  your  sheets.  These  marks  include  a  ring 
or  a  series  of  circles  without  any  other  marks  or 
letters,  meaning  tissue  paper.  Patch  marks  with 
the  letter  “  F  ”  signify  folio,  which  is  twice  as  thick 
as  tissue.  If  there  is  a  series  of  patch  marks  within 
a  circle  marked  “all  F, ”  this  signifies  all  folios 
within  these  marks  and  including  outside  mark. 
If  a  circle  is  marked  with  a  “P”  it  means  a  piece  of 
paper  equal  to  two  folios.  If  a  circle  is  marked  with 
a  “  P”  and  the  word  “own,  ”  it  means  this  requires 
a  piece  of  its  own  stock. 

If  a  circle  has  the  letter  “S”  inside,  it  means 
scrape  the  inside  of  the  mark.  If  a  small  circle  has 
the  letter  “X’’  therein,  this  means  cut  out. 

If  a  circle  has  the  word  “See”  inside,  it  means 
the  pressman  desires  to  see  what  is  wrong  here, 


MAKE-READY 


29 


possibly  a  piece  of  dirt  or  something  in  the  pack¬ 
ing.  All  marks  should  follow  irregularities  in  im- 
ression  to  be  cut  easily  (quickly)  on  back  of  sheet. 


7.  After  this  sheet  is  patched,  raise  the  bottom 
tympan  bale.  Lay  it  open;  put  bale  down  on  the 
second  sheet,  and  pull  an  impression  on  same. 

8.  Match  your  overlay  on  and  paste  in  the  margins 
securely,  register  the  same  to  printed  impression. 

9.  Put  the  top  thin  sheet  back  in  bale  and  open  the 
bale  nearest  you  and  remove  one  blank  sheet  to 
make  up  for  the  sheet  you  just  put  in  and  also  put 
the  bottom  card  on  top  of  patched-up  sheet,  to  bury 


30 


PLATEN  PRESS 


make-ready,  between  the  two  thin  tympan  sheets. 

10.  Pull  another  impression  and  mark  out  if  nec¬ 
essary.  If  there  are  only  a  few  patches,  put  them 
on  top  of  top  thin  sheet.  Never  patch  up  bad  or  low 
letters  on  the  first  sheet,  because  evening  up  the 
impression  may  cause  them  to  print  improperly. 

11.  After  all  is  clean  and  even,  take  a  regular 
manila  draw  sheet,  and  put  around  outside  of 
lower  tympan  bale.  Put  bale  down;  raise  the 
manila  draw  sheet  and  tear  off  edge  inside  bottom 
bale,  which  may  protrude  beyond  clamp  or  bale. 
Then  stretch  the  draw  sheet  very  tight,  especially 
in  center,  down  over  the  top  bale  and  crease  along 
the  top  edge. 

12.  Then  bring  top  sheet  back  and  tear  off  all  but 
about  one  inch  from  this  prominent  crease  just 
made.  Raise  bale  and  wrap  the  top  sheet  around 
outside,  allowing  the  crease  to  go  beyond  top  cor¬ 
ner  of  bale  one  pica;  have  same  distance  entire 
width  of  bale.  Hold  firmly  and  lower  bale;  then 
clamp  down  very  tight.  You  will  then  have  a  snug, 
firm  hard  surface. 

13.  Print  on  a  soiled  sheet,  and  latch  the  rollers  up, 
and  then  do  not  run  rollers  over  form  again.  But 
print  on  top  sheet;  this  will  give  you  a  faint  im¬ 
pression. 

14.  Take  sheet  you  have  O.K.  for  position;  mark 
position  of  sheet  on  tympan,  put  guides  near  outer 
corners  an  inch,  or  inch  and  a  half  in;  with  side 
guide  below  the  center  of  sheet. 

15.  Pull  an  impression.  See  if  position  is  O.K. 
Then  see  if  you  can  use  grippers  or  cord  across  the 


MAKE-READY 


3i 


grippers  to  hold  sheet.  Use  quads  and  small  strips 
of  press  board  close  to  guides  for  tongues,  cut  one 
pica  back  below  the  edge  so  they  won’t  interfere 
with  feeding.  Then  cut  a  V-shaped  pressboard 
and  put  in  slit  in  front  of  guide  and  up  to  the  quad 
so  sheet  can  not  cut  under  same. 

This  is  a  flat  make-ready ;  if  it  is  necessary  to  use 
either  hand-cut,  chalk,  or  metallic  overlays  (see 
“Overlays”  as  to  how  to  make  them),  they  can  be 
attached  to  first  mark-out  sheet. 

Closing  Press  at  Night.  If  a  long  run  is  on  the  press, 
it  is  best  to  put  a  sheet  of  machine-finished  stock  up  to  the 
guides,  with  impression  on  and  turn  up  by  hand  so  it  will 
just  touch.  Then  put  quads  behind  rollers  to  force  out  from 
cylinders.  This  will  prevent  the  atmosphere  from  having 
any  effect  upon  your  make-ready. 

To  Print  on  Parchment.  First  secure  a  good  grade 
of  heavy  black  ink,  that  dries  by  oxidation.  When  job  is 
ready  to  run,  rub  powdered  magnesia  over  the  entire  surface 
of  the  parchment,  using  cotton.  Rub  rather  hard,  then 
wipe  off  with  clean  cotton  and  immediately  print  before  the 
grease  comes  to  the  surface.  You  can  not  powder  any  sheets 
ahead;  it  must  be  done  just  before  putting  the  sheet  in  the 
press. 

On  all  Register  Jobs.  Do  not  fail  to  mark  the  pos¬ 
ition  of  the  guides  on  one  sheet,  also  the  number  of  copies 
run,  to  enable  you  to  tell  how  many  extra  copies  there  are; 
keep  this  sheet  in  a  safe  place. 

Friskets.  If  you  are  proofing  up  a  job,  say  for  ex¬ 
ample  a  half-tone,  and  you  desire  to  show  the  customer  a 
proof  in  colors,  without  the  cost  of  extra  plates,  print  this 
same  design  on  any  thin  paper.  Cut  out  on  this  thin  sheet 


32 


PLATEN  PRESS 


the  parts  you  wish  to  print  in  color.  Now  mix  up  your 
transparent  tints,  which  are  by  far  the  best  laying  tints 
for  coated  paper. 

Now  lock  up  a  tint  block;  ink  up  press  with  the  tint; 
and  lay  a  good  printed  sheet  down  to  guide.  Lay  on  top 
this  thin  sheet,  which  has  previously  been  cut  to  allow 
open  spaces  where  you  desire  color.  Now  pull  an  impression. 
This  will  print  through  where  the  places  have  been  cut 
away,  and  bear  off  where  you  don’t  want  the  color.  This 
gives  you  an  opportunity  to  switch  your  colors,  until  you 
arrive  at  the  proof  you  most  desire,  without  any  additional 
cost  for  plates. 

Make-ready  Tint  Blocks.  Solid  tint  blocks  require 
considerable  pressure,  especially  in  center  of  print,  which 
causes  the  edges  to  show  a  heavy  outline  on  the  reverse  side 
of  sheet.  Do  not  try  to  bring  this  to  print  properly  with 
too  many  tissue  patches;  it  is  better  to  pull  an  impression 
on  a  coated  sheet  equal  to  80  lb.,  25  x  38,  and  cut  in  from 
the  edge  .028"  and  paste  on  in  exact  register.  This  will 
eliminate  over  make-ready  for  coated  stock.  For  machine 
laid,  or  antique  paper,  it  will  be  necessary  to  use  a  heavier 
overlay. 

Color  Post-cards.  When  printing  post-cards  in  more 
than  one  color,  print  the  black  or  key  plates  first.  Then  use 
transparent  colors,  and  you  can  keep  them  in  register  with 
the  black  at  all  times,  thus  saving  a  lot  of  grief  and  woe. 
If  you  first  get  position  of  black  or  key  plates,  then  run 
color,  you  can  not  change  black  if  for  some  reason  they 
vary  in  register.  Very  frequently  you  can  not  move  black 
without  being  under  the  necessity  of  moving  the  overlay. 

Run  transparent  colors  and  be  repaid  with  a  good  clean 
job,  and  exact  register  wherever  it  is  possible. 


MAKE-READY 


33 


Printing  Cover  Paper.  The  most  desirable  thing  is  to 
prevent  the  ink  piling  up  on  the  edges;  especially  if  an¬ 
other  color  prints  over  same,  or  if  another  color  is  to  register 
to  the  same. 

On  very  soft  cover  paper  cut  an  overlay,  keeping  in  the 
thickness  of  one  card  (about  .021  inch)  from  the  edge;  that 
is  to  say,  cut  it  off  of  the  design.  This  makes  the  edges  print 
clean,  and  you  can  not  see  the  impression  on  the  back  of 
paper. 

On  medium  hard  stock,  which  contains  many  small  pores, 
print  on  a  manila  card  (post-card),  and  cut  in  from  the 
edge.  On  very  small  letters  and  spots,  this  can  not  be  done, 
but  on  heavy  or  large  letters  these  should  all  be  cut  out, 
in  from  the  edge. 

With  stock  which  is  very  hard,  thick  and  full  of  deep 
pores,  cut  out  the  design  on  possibly  4-ply  manila.  You 
can  run  less  ink,  and  it  will  lay  more  smoothly  and  produce 
a  much  more  satisfactory  job. 

Embossing.  The  Universal  type  of  press  is  the  most 
powerful  printing  press  and  very  rigid  for  embossing.  You 
can  also  regulate  your  impression  with  more  satisfaction 
by  raising  or  lowering  the  impression  clips,  even  after  all  is 
ready  to  run,  without  in  any  way  interfering  with  the  re¬ 
gister. 

The  die  is  possibly  mounted  on  metal,  or  should  be,  or 
with  a  patented  electric  embossing  base  which  has  an 
electric  coil  and  supplies  heat  to  the  brass  die.  This  is  an 
excellent  asset  to  any  firm  that  does  a  great  deal  of  em- 
bssing  work. 

1.  Glue  on  the  platen  a  piece  of  strawboard,  and 
allow  it  to  dry.  It  is  good  practice  to  put  your  die 
on  the  press  just  before  going  home  at  night,  espe- 


34 


PLATEN  PRESS 

dally  if  it  is  a  large  die;  this  gives  it  sufficient  time 
to  dry. 

2*  Now  we  have  the  female  die  locked  up  in  a 
chase,  or  placed  on  a  patent  base. 

3.  If  there  are  two  dies  to  emboss  at  once,  it  be¬ 
comes  necessary  to  register  them  in  properly  before 
getting  ready  to  run.  This  is  done  by  inking  them 
up  and  printing  the  outline  over  the  designs  to  be 
embossed,  making  moves  until  they  are  in  perfect 
register. 

4.  Mark  on  your  strawboard,  which  is  glued  on 
press,  about  where  the  die  will  come. 

5.  Now  take  two  parts  of  Alabastine,  which  can  be 
purchased  at  almost  any  hardware  or  paint  store; 
mix  with  one  part  dextrine,  which  can  be  procured 
at  any  drug  store.  Mix  these  two  thoroughly,  then 
add  a  little  water  until  you  have  a  good  thick  putty. 

6.  Spread  this  putty  over  surface  of  strawboard 
inside  your  outline,  to  the  thickness  of  about  one- 
eighth  of  an  inch. 

7.  Lower  your  impression  clips  five  or  six  notches. 
Then  take  two  sheets  of  tissue;  lay  them  over  the 
composition  and  turn  the  press  over  on  the  impres¬ 
sion  several  times. 

8.  Open  wide  and  remove  the  top  tissue,  and  cut 
with  sharp  overlay  knife  all  the  surplus  compo¬ 
sition  that  has  sqeezed  out  around  the  design. 

9.  Take  another  tissue;  place  on  top  of  composition 
and  raise  up  the  impression  one  clip  or  notch  and 
run  over  on  the  impression.  If  it  breaks  through  on 
the  tissue  you  possibly  have  too  much  water  in  the 
composition.  Use  two  tissues,  keep  cutting  away 


MAKE-READY 


35 


the  compound  that  squashes  out  from  under  the 
die,  and  adding  a  clean  tissue  each  time.  Of 
course,  the  first  tissue  remains  over  composition 
all  the  time;  this  can  not  be  removed.  But  the 
second  one  can  be  removed  each  time.  Add  an¬ 
other  notch  of  impression  until  you  get  all  the 
detail  you  possible  can  out  of  the  die. 

10.  Now  let  it  set  for  15  or  20  minutes,  then  return 
and  if  it  seems  quite  stiff,  and  you  do  not  want  the 
stock  to  be  ironed  out  between  the  letters  or  inside 
of  border,  take  overlay  knife,  which  must  be  very 
sharp,  and  cut  close  to  design,  exercising  great  care 
not  to  injure  the  design  or  remove  the  inside  com¬ 
position.  This  requires  the  removal  of  composition 
around  large  letters,  but  a  small  line  of  type  you 
can  cut  around  close  to  the  outer  edge  only.  When 
the  composition  is  hard,  set  the  guides  and  register 
same  and  proceed  to  run.  If  it  is  an  electric  base, 
turn  on  the  current  about  fifteen  minutes  before 
you  start  to  run. 

Watch  the  hair-lines,  etc.,  and  also  register,  as 
off-register  spoils  the  job.  This  is  the  best  com¬ 
pound  possible  to  use. 

Strawboard  Embossing.  This  kind  of  embossing 
can  be  done  with  safety  on  a  clamshell  type  of  press. 

1.  Lock  up  your  die,  and  make  an  outline  on  the 
platen  where  die  will  come  with  pencil. 

2.  Cut  three  pieces  of  strawboard  and  glue  them 
one  on  top  of  each  other  on  the  platen. 

3.  Now  pull  several  impressions  and  if  you  need 
additional  squeeze  add  it  behind  the  form. 

4.  Cut  away  the  strawboard  around  the  die. 


36 


PLATEN  PRESS 


5.  Put  the  impression  on  and  print  a  number  of 
impressions  on  strawboard.  This  forces  it  up  into 
the  die,  and  also  hardens  the  male  die.  Keep  cut¬ 
ting  away  the  outside,  and  printing  until  you  have 
out  of  the  die  all  you  can  get. 

6.  Let  the  press  run;  this  will  continue  to  harden 
the  male  die.  By  this  method  you  can  start  to  run 
any  time  you  wish,  and  you  will  find  one  can  be¬ 
come  quite  expert  at  this  and  do  very  beautiful 
work.  On  small  and  also  large  dies  this  is  an  excel¬ 
lent  method. 

To  Emboss  a  Rule  Border. 

1.  Make  up  a  rectangular  frame  to  the  size  de¬ 
sired,  using  parallel  3-pt.  rules,  separated  by  a  pica 
or  less,  as  desired. 

2.  Lock  this  up  in  a  chase;  put  a  heavy  manila  on 
for  a  tympan. 

3.  Ink  up  the  rules  with  a  brayer  and  print  on  the 
tympan. 

4.  Ink  up  form  again  and  pull  an  impression  on  a 
four-ply  manila,  and  mark  the  guide  edge  on 
bottom. 

5.  Take  overlay  knife  and  cut  out  the  inside  strip 
between  the  rules,  exactly  along  the  inside  edges 
and  paste  on,  in  exact  register  on  the  tympan  ac¬ 
cording  to  your  printed  impression. 

6.  After  you  have  the  entire  rectangle  pasted  on, 
set  your  guides  and  proceed  to  run.  This  gives  you 
an  embossed  border,  without  the  cost  of  a  brass  die. 
All  brass  dies  are  cut  by  hand,  which  is  fine  work. 

To  Sink  a  Panel. 

1.  Take  a  block  of  metal,  or  wood  about  1-16  inch. 


MAKE-READY 

below  type-high;  place  around  this  a  nonpareil 
brass  border. 

2.  Lock  in  chase  and  put  on  regular  tympan. 

3.  Ink  this  up  with  a  brayer  and  print  an  impres¬ 
sion  on  the  tympan.  Take  a  piece  of  blotting  paper 
and  paste  the  inside  center  of  printed  impression 
on  platen,  being  careful  not  to  get  paste  any 
nearer  than  two  picas  from  the  inside  of  rule 
border. 

5.  Pull  several  impressions  on  this  blotter,  and 
take  a  piece  of  thin  zinc  and  put  under  the  blotter, 
between  blotter  and  manila.  Use  a  straight-edge 
with  a  sharp  overlay  knife  to  cut  just  on  the  very 
inside  of  rule  marks  on  blotter.  This  removes  the 
outside  and  allows  the  rules  to  come  down  outside 
of  the  rectangular  piece  of  blotter. 

6.  Set  the  guides  and  feed  sheets  face  down  to  sink 
the  panel. 

This  method  can  be  used  on  either  platen  or 
cylinder  presses. 


37 


CYLINDER  PRESSES 


WORKING  MECHANISM 

IT  IS  the  author’s  intention  to  write  this  chapter  having 
in  mind  the  Miehle  press  throughout.  It  is  his  claim, 
in  good  faith,  that  when  a  pressman  is  familiar  with  and 
understands  the  possibilities  of  a  Miehle  press,  he  can  very 
readily  see  if  a  like  operation  or  “stunt”  can  be  done  on  the 
press  he  hopes  to  apply  it  to.  A  Miehle  press  will  do  any¬ 
thing  possible  to  be  done  on  a  two-revolution  press.  The 
most  desirable  thing  is  to  know  what  can  be  done;  then  if 
one  can  apply  it  to  a  different  make  of  machine  he  can 
readily  see  for  himself  how  to  apply  his  knowledge  to  the 
presses.  But  a  pressman  having  very  little  or  no  experience 
on  a  Miehle  does  not  begin  to  know  what  this  wonderfully 
constructed  machine  will  do,  unless  he  is  instructed  by 
another;  yet  he  can  readily  get  the  same  results  as  before 
on  other  makes  as  far  as  his  ability  and  knowledge  go. 

Description.  A  cylinder  press  is  a  press  where  the  form 
is  locked  on  a  perfectly  flat  bed,  and  the  impression  is  de¬ 
livered  against  a  large  cylinder. 

The  bed  travels  forward  and  backward  in  correct  unison, 
or  time,  with  the  large  steel  cylinder,  which  makes  two 
revolutions  for  every  impression,  and  is  commonly  known 
as  a  two-revolution  press. 

Placing  a  Cylinder  Press.  It  is  best  located  where 
you  have  the  best  light,  which  should  fall  upon  the  front 
end,  or  the  end  where  the  sheet  is  delivered.  It  is  desirable 
to  see  that  sunlight  does  not  fall  directly  in  feeder’s  face. 


WORKING  MECHANISM  39 

Foundation  for  Cylinder  Press.  Every  press  should  be 
provided  with  a  solid  foundation ;  wherever  it  is  practicable, 
constructed  of  brick,  concrete  or  stone.  Such  a  foundation 
will  insure  the  most  satisfactory  results;  but  where  this  is 
not  feasible,  the  nearest  approach  to  it  will  have  to  be  ar¬ 
ranged  for  according  to  circumstances.  If  necessary,  the 
press  may  be  placed  on  floor,  if  it  is  certain  that  it  is  amply 
strong  and  rigid.  An  ordinary  floor  may  be  strengthened  by 
providing  strong,  heavy  planks  for  the  press  to  stand  on; 
in  the  majority  of  cases  this  is  advisable.  The  planks  should 
be  at  right  angles  with  the  floor  beams  and  should  be  secure¬ 
ly  bolted  through  the  floor  to  every  beam  that  they  pass 
over.  If  the  floor  beams  run  in  the  same  direction  as  the 
press  is  to  stand,  planks  should  be  placed  transversely  under 
each  end  of  the  press,  and  at  least  two  more  should  be  used, 
equally  spaced  between  these.  If  the  beams  run  in  the 
opposite  direction,  the  planks  should  be  placed  lengthwise 
under  each  side  frame.  They  should  be  at  least  one  foot 
wide,  2 y2  inches  thick,  and  about  one  foot  longer  than  the 
press  measures. 

It  is  a  good  idea  to  cover  the  floor  underneath  the  press 
with  sheet  zinc  or  galvanized  iron,  so  as  to  prevent  the  oil 
drippings,  etc.,  from  soaking  into  the  floor. 

To  Level  a  Cylinder  Press.  In  order  to  get  the  best 
results,  see  that  the  press  is  leveled  up  with  a  good  level 
and  properly  packed  up  under  each  corner,  with  the  greatest 
amount  of  weight  bearing  on  the  ends  of  the  press.  The 
proper  place  to  find  the  level  is  on  the  tracks  of  the  press. 
Lay  the  level  on  the  tracks  both  ways.  Then  pack  up  under 
the  center  of  the  side  frames.  To  avoid  rocking,  it  is  essen¬ 
tial  to  have  a  good  foundation.  Your  press  will  then  run 
much  smoother,  on  account  of  the  bearings  being  lined  up 


40 


CYLINDER  PRESS 


as  they  were  made  in  the  factory.  One  can  level  up  the  press 
by  laying  the  level  upon  the  bed  in  rear,  then  turn  press 
until  bed  is  near  fountain  end  and  repeat. 

It  is  necessary  to  level  the  press  carefully,  both  length¬ 
wise  and  crosswise,  using  a  good  spirit  level  on  the  steel 
face  of  the  track,  for  the  lengthwise  test;  and  on  a  straight¬ 
edge  placed  across  the  track  for  the  crosswise  test.  A  vibrator 
roll  makes  a  very  satisfactory  straight-edge.  The  level 
should  never  be  turned  end  for  end.  It  is  a  good  plan  to 
mark  one  end  of  the  level;  and  bear  in  mind,  during  the 
entire  process  of  leveling,  that  the  marked  end  must  always 
point  towards  the  same  end  or  side  of  the  press.  When 
leveling  the  press,  use  heavy  paper  or  cardboard,  under  the 
frames,  one  single  on  top  of  the  other,  thus  acting  as  par¬ 
allel  wedges.  It  is  particularly  important  that  the  bearing 
should  not  be  too  heavy  under  the  middle  sections  of  the 
frames,  as  this  would  cause  the  press  to  rock. 

Cylinder  Press  Register  Adjustments.  To  register 
press,  adjustment  should  be  made  in  the  order  following: 

1.  Adjust  type  bed. 

2.  Adjust  cylinder  to  bearers. 

3.  Adjust  grippers. 

4-  Adjust  feed  guides. 

5.  Adjust  shoofly  fingers. 

6.  Adjust  stripper  fingers. 

7.  Adjust  drop  guides. 

8.  Adjust  bands  and  brush. 

9.  Adjust  register  rack. 

To  Adjust  Type  Bed.  The  only  adjustment  that  a 
pressman  can  make  on  the  type  bed  is  the  slide  gibs,  which 
are  located  on  each  corner  of  the  type  bed.  The  purpose  of 
these  gibs  is  to  take  up  any  play  that  may  develop  between 


WORKING  MECHANISM 


41 


the  outer  steels  on  the  bottom  of  the  bed  and  the  upright 
guides  on  the  way  frames.  The  proper  adjustment  of  the 
gibs  will  aid  in  obtaining  good  register. 

Each  gib  is  held  in  position  by  a  cap-screw.  To  set 
the  gib,  loosen  the  screw  and  move  the  gib  up  to  the  outer 
face  of  the  guide  on  the  way  frame.  Do  not  set  the  gib  so 
tight  that  it  binds,  but  allow  a  nice  sliding  fit.  Then  set  the 
screw  up  very  tight.  The  gibs  should  be  oiled  regularly, 
also  the  inner  face  of  the  upright  guides  on  the  way  frames. 

To  Adjust  Type-bed  Bearers.  The  type-bed  bearers, 
one  on  each  side  of  the  bed,  gauge  .918"  and  should  never 
have  any  paper  liner  put  under  them  unless  they  have  worn 
down  enough  to  warrant  such  shimmering.  This  should  not 
be  resorted  to  unless  the  bearers  have  been  calipered  with  a 
micrometer  guage.  See  that  there  is  no  dirt  under  these 
bearers  and  that  the  screws  are  kept  tight.  In  case  oil  collects 
on  the  bearers,  make  it  a  point  to  wipe  them  off  and  keep 
them  comparatively  dry.  Do  not  put  rosin  on  the  bearers. 

Cylinder  to  Bearers.  Take  the  bearers  off  the  bed 
and  clean  them  well.  Then  lay  them  upon  the  bed,  but  do 
not  put  the  bolts  in.  Always  keep  the  bolts  in  a  position 
so  you  can  place  them  in  the  same  place  from  which  you 
took  them.  Turn  the  press  ahead  so  that  the  cylinder  is 
down;  then  loosen  top  jam-nuts  on  all  four  impression  rods. 
Move  them  enough  to  allow  you  to  have  play;  then  move 
both  steady-screws  which  are  directly  under  cylinder  boxes, 
on  both  sides  of  press  down  considerably.  Take  long  pin 
wrench  and  move  both  rods  down  until  you  can  just  push 
the  loose  bearers  in  and  out  and  also  feel  the  contact;  repeat 
this  operation  on  the  other  side,  but  be  absolutely  sure  the 
numbers  near  the  pin  wrench  holes  on  the  rods  on  the  side 
are  pointing  in  exactly  the  same  position  or  direction. 


42 


CYLINDER  PRESS 


Then  step  in  rear  of  press  and  grasp  each  bearer  and 
move  sideways  to  ascertain  if  both  have  same  contact.  If 
O.K.,  then,  in  order  to  give  the  cylinder  sufficient  contact 
on  the  bearers,  pull  all  four  rods  down  equal  to  one  hole  on 
all  four  nuts.  To  illustrate:  if  the  figure  “2”  was  facing 
out  on  all  four  nuts,  turn  the  nuts  so  that  the  figure  “3” 
would  be  facing  out.  In  order  to  pull  them  down  this  last 
hole,  it  may  be  necessary  to  turn  the  press  so  the  cylinder 
will  be  up,  to  receive  the  impression  on  the  bearers.  The 
turning  down  of  one  hole  is  equal  to  ten  one-thousandths 
of  an  inch,  or  the  distance  between  one  hole  equals  this 


much: 

Pony  bring  down . 006" 

No.  3 . .008" 

No.  1  and  2 . 010" 

Two-color . 010" 


Then  turn  the  press  so  cylinder  is  down  on  the  bearers 
again,  and  set  the  steady  screws  up  just  so  they  touch  the 
cylinder  boxes,  or  with  a  piece  of  book  paper  between  the 
screw  and  the  box,  and  tighten  the  locknut  well.  It  is  good 
practice  to  turn  the  press  over  by  hand  once  or  twice  to 
make  sure  that  your  work  is  all  right  before  applying  power. 
Then  be  sure  and  tighten  jam-nuts. 

Note.  Make  sure  you  do  not  set  the  steady-screws  up 
with  the  cylinder,  up  off  the  bearers,  as  it  will  surely  break 
something.  Now,  if  the  impression  is  not  even,  take  the 
press  board  off  the  cylinder,  and  pack  up  with  manila 
paper  and  try  it  again,  as  it  is  almost  impossible  to  get 
press  boards  that  do  not  vary  in  thickness.  If  at  any  time 
with  an  extry  heavy  label,  or  plate  form,  the  cylinder  does 
not  ride  the  bearers,  pull  it  down  a  little  harder,  the  same  as 
before.  In  no  case  should  the  packing  exceed  a  light  manila 


WORKING  MECHANISM 


43 


sheet  above  the  bearers,  as  it  would  have  a  tendency  to  pull 
the  packing  away  from  the  tympan  clamp  and  would  also 
wear  the  back  edge  of  the  plates.  And  the  packing  should 
never  be  less  than  the  height  of  the  bearers  on  the  cylinder. 
Underlay  or  plane  down  the  plates  to  get  an  even  impression 
as  near  as  possible  to  type-high,  which  is  the  same  height 
as  the  bearers. 

Take  Notice.  See  that  the  cylinder  rises  up  on  both 
sides  of  the  press  so  the  block  touches  the  guide-rod  frames. 
If  not,  tighten  the  cylinder  springs  by  means  of  adjusting 
screws  located  in  the  bottom  side  of  cylinder  spring  blocks. 
Turn  to  the  left,  each  about  one  turn,  and  see  if  the  cylinder 
lifts  to  the  proper  place ;  if  not,  give  them  another  turn  and 
try  again.  Be  careful  not  to  compress  the  springs  more  than 
just  enough  to  lift  the  cylinder  the  proper  amount,  and  be 
sure  that  the  spring  blocks  are  level ;  then  tighten  set-screws 
on  side  of  spring  blocks.  The  springs  are  simply  to  over¬ 
come  the  weight  of  the  cylinder  in  rising. 

To  Adjust  the  Grippers.  After  the  form  has  been 
made  ready,  the  grippers  should  be  re-set,  especially  if  close 
register  is  desired.  Loosen  all  the  grippers,  after  marking 
their  position  on  both  sides  of  each  gripper  with  pencil,  and 
then  note  that  the  cylinder  gripper-tumbler  rests  on  the 
stop.  Cut  a  number  of  strips,  one  inch  wide,  from  the  stock 
for  the  run,  and  place  two  strips  between  the  tumbler  and 
the  stop.  To  set  the  grippers,  start  at  the  center  and  work 
toward  the  edge.  Place  a  strip  of  the  stock  under  the  gripper 
and  press  reasonably  hard  on  the  end;  then  tighten  up  on 
the  set  screw,  but  not  hard.  Then  pull  the  strip  of  paper 
under  the  gripper  to  determine  if  the  gripper  is  holding; 
also  see  that  the  tumbler  is  still  holding  strips.  In  like 
manner  set  each  gripper,  after  which  try  each  strip  of  paper 


44 


CYLINDER  PRESS 


and  note  that  each  gripper  has  the  same  hold  on  each  strip, 
likewise  the  tumbler.  Then  tighten  each  set  screw,  a  little 
at  a  time,  going  over  them  several  times  until  they  are 
securely  clamped. 

Good  register  is  jeopardized  if  the  clearance  between  the 
tumbler  and  the  stop  exceeds  the  thickness  of  a  manila 
sheet.  It  is  most  essential  that  the  bearings  which  support 
the  gripper  rod  be  oiled  frequently,  so  that  the  rod  will 
not  cut  and  seize  in  the  bearings,  thereby  causing  serious 
accident. 

To  Adjust  Feed  Guides.  Set  stop  on  left,  or  feeder 
side,  end  of  front  feed-guide  shaft,  so  that  it  rests  on  pin. 
Adjust  the  feed-board  by  means  of  thumb-screws  under 
each  front  corner  of  feed  board  so  that  the  top  of  the  feed- 
board  is  about  1-16  inch  below  top  of  cylinder  just  after 
the  grippers  have  closed  on  a  sheet.  You  can  determine 
this  by  means  of  a  straight-edge  placed  on  top  of  board  so 
that  the  end  rests  on  cylinder.  Now  bend  the  feed-guide 
rests  same  shape  as  cylinder,  so  that  they  just  clear  the 
packing  1-32  inch  or  less. 

One  very  important  feature  is  applied  here.  The  cam 
gear  is  constructed  with  a  double  lift,  which  allows  the 
cylinder  to  rise  part  of  the  way  and  then  travel  part  of  a 
revolution,  a  sufficient  distance  to  allow  the  sheet  to  travel 
clear  of  the  feed  board  and  guides,  so  as  not  to  smut  the 
print;  then  the  cylinder  makes  the  second  lift  in  time  to 
grip  the  next  sheet.  By  this  construction  it  is  possible  to  get 
the  guide  rests  close  down  to  the  cylinder  and  the  sheet  lies 
down  flat  when  taken  by  the  grippers.  This  assists  the 
register  and  has  a  tendency  to  prevent  wrinkles.  Now  set 
the  front  guides  down  upon  the  rests  and  have  the  grippers 
open  about  to  take  a  sheet.  This  is  the  position  press  is  in 


MIEHLE  PRESS 


WORKING  MECHANISM  45 

to  take  sheet.  All  should  be  perfect  at  this  point,  one  hand 
on  guide  rod  stop,  to  make  sure  all  weight  of  guides  is  on 
pin  under  stop.  Tighten  the  thumb-screws  securely.  In  this 
position  they  should  just  touch  the  guide  rests  and  not 
spring  them  when  raising  and  lowering.  The  feed-board 
should  be  a  good  fit  sideways  between  guide-rod  frames. 

Timing  Guides.  Now  turn  the  press  back  so  that  the 
closing  pin  is  in  the  tumbler  and  the  grippers  are  about 
one-half  inch  up  from  the  cylinder.  At  this  point  set  the 
front  guide  lifting  finger,  which  is  located  on  the  extreme 
end  of  the  guide  rod,  right  or  gear  side  of  the  press,  down  on 
small  pin  that  blade  works  in  and  out  on  front  guide  lever. 
Now,  if  you  turn  the  press  ahead,  the  guides  will  lift  and 
clear  the  sheet  when  the  grippers  take  it.  The  guides  can  be 
adjusted  to  lift  faster  or  slower  by  altering  the  distance  that 
the  points  of  grippers  are  away  from  packing  when  setting 
the  lifting  finger.  See  that  blades  on  front  feed  guides  are 
bent  slightly  back  so  they  lift  away  from  the  edge  of  the 
sheet,  or  they  may  kick  the  sheet  away  from  position  when 
the  guides  raise. 

To  Adjust  the  Shoofly  Fingers.  The  shoofly  finger 
rod  can  be  taken  out  or  replaced  by  pressing  down  on  spring 
or  center  bearing,  and  pushing  to  right  or  rear  side  of  press 
until  the  end  is  clear  of  the  socket  in  the  end  of  shoofly 
crank.  When  in  position  see  that  the  key  in  end  of  shoofly 
rod  fits  the  socket  good,  so  that  there  is  no  play.  Then 
divide  up  the  shooflys  and  tighten  screws.  Care  should  be 
used  not  to  spring  the  rod.  Have  the  fingers  all  lie  down 
even  on  the  packing  and  not  too  close  to  the  grippers. 
When  open  at  the  highest  point,  they  should  be  about 
5-16  inch  from  packing  when  passing  ends  of  the  stripper 
fingers. 


46 


CYLINDER  PRESS 


A  recent  change  has  been  made  on  this  equipment  which 
eliminates  the  flat  spring  necessary  to  keep  shoofly  rod  in 
center  bearing.  The  new  center  bearing  is  so  designed  that 
all  spring  and  vibration  are  eliminated.  The  rod  is  removed 
similar  to  the  old  style,  the  only  difference  being  that  it  is 
essential  to  have  the  flat  place  on  the  rod  come  opposite  the 
center  bearing  before  the  rod  can  be  removed. 

To  Adjust  the  Stripping  Fingers.  Divide  them  up  on 
the  shaft,  so  that  they  will  clear  the  shoofly  fingers  and  the 
grippers  as  the  cylinder  turns  around.  Tighten  the  screws, 
with  the  stripper  fingers  resting  on  the  upper  tape  pulley 
rod.  Now,  on  right,  or  gear  side  of  rod  where  the  stripper 
lever  is  located,  loosen  the  screw  and  push  it  as  far  toward 
the  cylinder  as  it  will  go,  and  tighten  the  screw.  On  the 
other  end  of  the  rod,  just  inside  of  the  tape  frame,  is  the 
shoofly  cam  stop.  Set  it  so  that  the  point  rests  on  point  of 
shoofly  cam  as  sheet  is  leaving  cylinder. 

To  Adjust  the  Drop  Guides.  The  drop  guides  are  put 
on  the  press  to  assist  the  register.  Without  them,  there  is 
one  point  after  the  sheet  is  fed  to  the  guides,  and  then  when 
the  grippers  are  closing  on  the  sheet  and  the  guides  raising, 
that  there  is  nothing  to  hold  the  sheet  from  moving  out  of 
register.  If  properly  adjusted,  they  will  hold  the  sheet 
firmly  to  feed  board  while  the  grippers  are  taking  the  sheet. 

To  adjust,  set  stop  on  left  or  feeder  end  of  rod  down  on 
pin.  Now  set  each  drop  guide  down  so  they  rest  on  feed 
board. 

The  cylinder  should  be  in  a  position  with  the  grippers 
just  closed  on  the  sheet.  The  wire  drop  guides  should  just 
straddle  the  front  guides.  The  old  kind  may  be  set  to  suit 
the  operator. 

On  the  right  or  gear  end  of  drop  guide  rod  is  located  the 


WORKING  MECHANISM 


47 


drop  guide  lever.  Loosen  this  and  allow  the  connecting  link 
to  rest  in  notch  on  gripper  lever  that  works  the  tumbler  pin, 
and  tighten  the  set  screw.  In  order  to  have  the  guides  lift 
soon  after  the  grippers  have  taken  the  sheet,  there  is 
located  a  long  set  screw  through  end  of  guide  lever.  Adjust 
this  down  to  and  just  touching  the  front  guide  lever  directly 
after  the  grippers  close  on  the  sheet.  The  drop  guides  will 
now  lift  when  the  cylinder  has  traveled  ahead  about  two 
inches,  after  taking  the  sheet. 

To  Adjust  Cylinder  Bands.  Set  the  bands  on  rods  so 
they  clear  the  shoofly  fingers  and  grippers,  with  the  lower 
ends  touching  the  packing,  but  not  hard  enough  to  streak 
the  paper.  This  should  be  done  when  the  cylinder  is  down 
as  the  sheet  is  just  starting  to  print.  It  is  best  to  have  job 
made  ready,  so  as  to  have  correct  packing  on,  then  feed 
sheet  in  and  put  trip  on  as  if  to  print;  then  tighten  each  band 
starting  in  center,  and  leave  the  end  bands  just  a  trifle  loose. 

Setting  Brush.  Presses  with  brushes  should  have  the 
brush  set  up  just  snug  to  cylinder  when  cylinder  is  down  on 
impression.  The  brush  should  be  slighlty  full  in  the  center. 
Underlay  if  necessary;  this  will  have  a  tendency  to  press  the 
air  and  wrinkles  out  at  the  side  of  the  sheet. 

It  is  best  to  set  brush  when  the  form  is  on  and  made 
ready.  Feed  in  the  sheet,  put  trip  on  same  as  to  print,  run 
press  around  slowly  until  the  cylinder  is  directly  over  a 
gutter  in  the  form;  then  release  sheet  from  grippers  by 
raising  tumbler  and  test  sheet  from  the  rear,  so  as  to  feel  the 
brush  smoothing  the  sheet  out,  slightly  fuller  in  center. 

The  brush  is  intended  to  make  the  sheet  hug  cylinder, 
but  not  tight  enough  to  pull  sheet  out  of  grippers  or  stretch 
same.  If  set  too  tight,  it  will  do  more  harm  than  good. 
Be  sure  it  has  equal  contact  across  cylinder. 


48 


CYLINDER  PRESS 


To  Set  Register  Rack. 

1.  The  register  rack  is  fastened  to  the  side  of  the 
type  bed  at  rear  of  feeder  side.  See  that  all  dirt 
and  burrs  that  may  be  on  the  side  and  ledge  of  re¬ 
gister  rack,  also  on  the  bed  where  the  rack  is  locat¬ 
ed,  are  removed. 

2.  With  the  cylinder  down  on  the  type-bed  bearers, 
turn  the  press  ahead  until  the  bed  is  to  the  rear  of 
the  press.  Place  the  rack  in  position  and  tighten 
the  screws  just  enough  so  there  will  be  no  side  play, 
but  free  enough  so  that  the  rack  can  be  moved,  by 
hand,  back  and  forth  along  the  bed.  Then  back 
the  press  by  hand  until  two  teeth  come  into  mesh. 
When  a  form  is  on  the  press,  it  is  essential  that  it 
does  not  interfere  with  the  setting  of  the  register 
rack.  Now  move  the  register  rack,  if  possible,  to 
determine  if  there  is  any  play  between  the  teeth. 
If  any  play  is  found  here,  then  it  will  be  necessary 
to  put  a  strip  of  metal  of  suitable  thickness  under 
the  ledge  on  the  register  rack  to  take  up  this  play. 
Care  must  be  exercised  in  order  that  the  rack  is  not 
built  up  too  high,  for  that  would  cause  the  cylin¬ 
der  to  be  raised  off  the  type-bed  bearers. 

For  close-register  work,  it  is  essential  that  the 
rack  be  set  to  a  nicety;  but  where  hair-line  register 
is  not  required,  then  two  or  three  thousandths 
play  in  teeth  will  allow  very  satisfactory  results. 

3.  After  adjusting  the  rack  to  the  proper  height, 
move  the  press  ahead  until  the  bed  is  to  the  rear, 
and  tighten  the  cap  screws  with  a  wrench,  just 
tight  enough  so  the  rack  can  not  move  out  of  posi¬ 
tion  when  power  is  applied  to  press. 


WORKING  MECHANISM 


49 


4.  Turn  the  press  over  a  couple  of  times  with 
power,  but  very  slowly— -the  cylinder  still  running 
on  the  impression.  This  will  allow  the  cylinder  to 
adjust  the  rack  to  suit  running  conditions.  Then 
stop  the  press  to  the  rear  and  tighten  the  screws 
a  little  more,  but  not  too  hard.  Then  run  the  press 
up  to  normal  speed,  or  the  speed  at  which  the  press 
is  usually  operated.  After  half-dozen  impressions, 
stop  the  press  (but  do  not  make  the  last  impression 
slower),  then  tighten  the  screws  hard.  After  adjust¬ 
ing  the  register  rack,  pull  several  impressions  on 
the  top  draw  sheet  as  a  test  for  register  between 
bed  and  cylinder.  If  register  is  out,  re-set  the  regis¬ 
ter  rack. 

5.  In  case  the  rack  and  segment  bump  when  mesh¬ 
ing,  one  or  several  of  the  following  may  be  the 
cause : 

(a)  When  putting  a  new  segment  or  register 
rack  on,  the  first,  second  or  third  of  the  leading 
teeth  on  cylinder  segment  or  register  rack  may  be 
too  full,  in  which  case  it  will  be  necessary  to  remove 
the  segment  from  cylinder  or  the  register  rack 
from  bed,  and  file  these  teeth. 

In  no  case  touch  the  teeth  that  extend  into  the 
printing  surface  of  cylinder  or  bed.  It  may  be  nec¬ 
essary  to  remove  segment  several  times  to  get 
results.  If  a  knock  still  exists,  note  the  marking 
or  polish  on  the  register  rack  and  then  file  same  off 
the  leading  teeth. 

(b)  The  knock  may  be  eliminated  by  loosening  the 
screws  and  tapping  the  rack  back  or  forth,  a  very 
small  amount,  as  the  case  may  be,  depending  on 


50 


CYLINDER  PRESS 


whether  the  marking  is  on  the  front  or  back  of  the 
tooth  on  rack. 

(c)  The  air  may  need  adjusting,  in  order  that  the 
bed  reverses  without  jarring  the  press. 

(d)  In  case  the  press  has  been  operatd  for  a  con¬ 
siderable  time,  there  may  be  too  much  lost  motion 
in  some  of  the  gears,  or  in  the  bed  motion  rack  or 
shoes,  or  in  the  cylinder  boxes.  In  such  cases,  it 
may  be  impossible  to  entirely  eliminate  all  the 
knock  unless  some  of  this  lost  motion  is  taken  up. 

How  to  Set  Rollers.  Turn  the  press  until  the  ink  plate 
is  directly  under  the  form  rollers.  Loosen  the  cap  screws  in 
the  composition  roller  blocks  and  move  rollers  away  from 
the  steel  vibrator  roller,  commencing  with  the  roller  nearest 
the  cylinder.  Tighten  the  screw  on  each  side  of  the  press. 
Now  adjust  the  roller  down  to  the  ink  plate,  even  on  both 
ends,  by  means  of  the  thumb-screws  in  the  bottom  of  roller 
blocks  until  the  roller  stocks  are  about  one  lead  higher  than 
the  roller  socket,  or  in  other  words,  until  there  is  an  open 
space,  about  one  lead  wide  between  the  stock  and  socket, 
on  all  rollers,  both  sides  of  press.  Then  tighten  the  jam-nuts 
on  the  thumb-screw,  and  again  loosen  the  cap-screws.  With 
a  man  on  each  side  of  press,  turn  the  press  so  the  bed  is 
directly  under  the  form  rollers,  lock  down  the  steel  vibrators 
and  one  man  should  count  three  so  both  can  move  rollers 
together,  and  have  same  amount  of  contact  on  each  end. 
These  operations  must  be  repeated  on  each  roller.  Set  them 
to  ink  table  first,  then  to  vibrators.  Repeat  the  same  oper- 
tion  on  the  angle  or  distributing  rollers. 

Setting  Rollers.  The  most  scientific  way  to  set  all 
rollers,  eliminating  all  guesswork,  is  to  place  form  rollers 
in  press,  after  removing  steel  rollers;  then  turn  press  until 


WORKING  MECHANISM 


5i 

ink  table  is  directly  underneath  them.  Now  cut  two  pieces 
of  French  folio  paper  about  four  or  five  inches  wide,  eight 
inches  long,  with  a  third  piece  placed  between  the  four-inch 
pieces,  but  not  nearly  so  wide.  Using  this  as  a  tongue, 
lower  or  raise  roller,  as  case  may  be,  until  you  feel  a  tension 
between  roller  and  ink  table,  then  give  screw  a  little  turn 
lower,  to  allow  for  paper;  repeat  this  on  each  end  of  roller 
and  on  all  rollers,  including  “duck”  or  fountain  roller.  After 
a  few  trials  you  will  discover  how  very  valuable  this  method 
is,  especially  for  plate  process  printing.  The  other  method 
previously  stated  is  suitable  for  the  general  run  of  work. 

After  setting  rollers,  cut  nicks  in  composition,  on  end 
of  roller  on  the  feeder  side  of  press.  This  will  enable  one  to 
tell  immediately  where  the  roller  rightly  belongs.  For  ex¬ 
ample,  the  roller  containing  one  nick  goes  nearest  the  cyl¬ 
inder.  Two  nicks  signifies  it  is  the  second  roller  from 
cylinder;  three  nicks,  third  roller;  four  nicks,  fourth  roller. 

Repeat  the  same,  on  the  angle  or  distributing  rollers, 
counting  from  cylinder  as  before. 

The  “duck”  or  feed  roller,  should  have  the  composition 
on  the  end  which  travels  over  starter  “strap”  cut  straight 
down  to  stock. 

To  set  duck  or  feed  roller,  turn  the  press  so  the  bed  is 
as  far  to  the  front  as  it  will  go;  place  the  feed  roller  in 
bearings  with  the  slide  key  in  place.  Now  adjust  this  roller 
to  the  ink  plate,  even  on  both  ends.  This  can  be  done  by 
loosening  the  set-screws  on  left,  or  feeder  side,  end  of  feed 
roller  shaft.  Also  loosen  the  nut  on  stud  that  works  in  the 
slot  on  lever  on  right  or  gear  side  end  of  shaft. 

Then  back  up  long  set-screw  in  lever  and  allow  the  feed 
roller  to  lie  down  even  on  the  plate,  with  about  the  same 
contact  as  the  angle  rollers.  Then  tighten  up  the  set-screw 


5  2 


CYLINDER  PRESS 


on  the  saddle  key  in  left  feed  roller  lever;  also  the  nut  on 
stud  in  right  side  feed  roller  lever.  Now  screw  the  long  set¬ 
screw  so  it  touches  the  last-named  stud  and  tighten  jam  nut. 

To  set  feed  roller  to  ink  fountain,  turn  press  bed  to 
rear  end  of  press,  so  feed  roller  is  as  far  down  as  it  will  go. 
Then  loosen  cap  screws  in  each  end  of  fountain,  and  move  the 
fountain  in  so  it  touches  the  feed  roller  with  the  same  con¬ 
tact  as  the  other  rollers.  Then  turn  the  press  so  the  feed 
roller  is  away  from  the  fountain  about  two  inches.  Now 
see  that  the  roller  end  bears  on  roller  starter  located  on  right 
end  of  feed  roller  by  the  frictional  contact  between  the 
roller  end  and  the  leather  strap  on  roller  starter.  If  not, 
pack  by  underlaying  with  manila  paper  or  pressboard; 
this  will  avoid  chipping  the  fountain  roller  when  it  strikes 
the  ink  plate,  causing  it  to  revolve  and  not  strike  in  the 
same  place  on  the  steel  fountain  roller  each  time.  This  is 
highly  necessary.  The  test  for  this  is  to  chalk  the  roller 
stock,  as  the  press  is  running,  and  ascertain  if  the  chalk 
mark  appears  in  same  direction  each  time  when  returning 
to  fountain;  if  so,  it  is  not  revolving  properly,  which  will 
cause  color  to  vary.  A  tape  fastened  to  an  angle  roller  socket 
and  placed  over  end  of  duck  roller  with  wrench  attached  to 
end  will  act  as  a  temporary  remedy  until  roller  starter  can 
be  underlayed.  Keep  the  angle  roller  belt  tight.  It  will 
save  undue  wear  on  roller  gears  caused  by  rollers  not  getting 
full  speed  before  ink  plate  strikes  them. 

To  Set  the  Fly.  Tighten  the  fly  cam  located  on  feeder 
side  of  press  on  end  of  cam  shaft,  and  turn  the  press  so  roller 
on  fly  cam  lever  is  on  high  part  of  cam.  Now  set  the  fly 
sticks  down  on  fly  stop  rod,  and  divide  them  evenly  as 
possible  across  the  press,  and  tighten  the  set-screw  in  each 
stick  so  they  rest  on  the  top  rod,  for  height  and  evenness. 


WORKING  MECHANISM 


53 


Loosen  the  ^-inch  set-screw  in  feeder’s  side  end  of  fly 
rod  and  press  the  sticks  down  firmly  on  stop  rod  all  together, 
and  then  tighten  set-screw  again.  Put  just  sufficient  com¬ 
pression  on  the  spring  on  feeder  side  to  allow  the  fly  cam 
roller  to  follow  the  fly  cam  when  the  sticks  are  delivering 
the  sheet  to  the  jogger  or  fly  board.  On  the  auxiliary 
spring,  on  gear  side  of  press,  the  crank  should  be  set  to  the 
the  mark,  and  not  too  much  compression  on  spring,  or  it 
will  necessitate  more  compression  on  the  feeder  side  of  fly 
spring,  which  means  more  wear  on  the  different  parts  and 
no  better  results.  The  fly  sticks  can  be  adjusted  to  go  closer 
or  stop  further  away  from  the  jogger  or  fly  board,  which 
works  in  slot  in  top  end  of  fly  cam  lever.  To  adjust  the 
sticks,  lower  the  fly  board,  loosen  the  nut,  and  raise  or  lower 
stud  towards  top  or  bottom  of  slot  the  required  distance 
to  suit  the  fly,  then  tighten  nut.  Now,  to  set  the  fly  for 
sheet,  feed  sheet  through  the  press  and  let  it  run  out  on 
tapes.  Set  the  fly  cam  so  the  sticks  start  to  raise  when  sheets 
hang  over  ends  of  sticks  from  two  to  three  inches.  This  can 
be  regulated  to  suit  the  operator  by  setting  the  cam  faster  or 
slower. 

To  Adjust  the  Face-up  Delivery.  Put  the  way-bars 
or  tracks  for  the  carriage  down  in  position  with  the  two 
screws  that  go  in  delivery  in  on  both  sides  of  press.  Lock 
the  fly  with  sticks  resting  on  stop  rod  by  means  of  the  fly 
lock  arm  located  on  left  side  frame  just  above  the  fly  cam. 

Now  put  the  delivery  carriage  in  place  and  connect 
them  up  with  the  delivery  arms.  This  is  done  by  taking  the 
split  pins  out  of  the  slotted  bearings  in  carriage  and  placing 
the  studs  in  ends  of  the  delivery  arm  connecting  bars  in  the 
slotted  bearings  and  replacing  the  split  pins.  Then  set  the 
upper  delivery  crank  to  mark  on  end  of  delivery  crank 


54 


CYLINDER  PRESS 


shaft;  also  lower  crank  on  end  of  cam  shaft;  connect  these 
together  with  the  delivery  connecting  rod.  Now  take  the 
set  screws  out  of  the  fly  rod  couplings  and  move  the  com¬ 
plete  set  of  sticks  and  the  attached  rod  to  the  delivery  and 
put  in  the  screws.  The  sticks  should  be  so  adjusted  that  it 
would  not  be  necessary  to  change  them  to  clear  the  tape 
pulleys  for  either  the  fly  or  the  delivery.  See  that  the  press 
is  turned  ahead  so  the  delivery  is  as  far  forward  as  it  will 
go  when  connected  up.  Put  the  pusher  finger  device  in 
place.  Now  place  a  sheet  on  the  board  with  the  front  edge 
against  the  sheet  stop  fingers,  and  adjust  the  pusher  device 
so  it  is  about  one-half  inch  away  from  the  rear  end  of  the 
sheet,  and  square  with  the  sheet.  Put  the  split  pins,  that 
are  attached  to  the  small  chains,  in  place  to  hold  device  in 
position,  then  put  pusher  finger  rod  on,  and  tighten,  hav¬ 
ing  fingers  down  on  rod.  Now  place  the  stick  guard  pan 
in  position  on  fly  rod  bracket.  This  is  to  protect  the  sticks 
from  dropping  down  and  breaking,  provided  any  of  them 
should  become  loose.  Then  place  the  sheet  guard  sticks  in 
position.  The  rod  rests  in  the  sheet  guard  stick  brackets, 
which  are  located  on  tape  frame  brace  rod  over  cylinder, 
and  have  a  slotted  bearing  to  receive  rod,  which  is  held  in 
position  with  a  set-screw.  These  sticks  are  placed  over  the 
tapes,  and  should  be  set  high  enough  to  clear  the  sheet.  To 
time  the  delivery,  feed  the  sheet  through  press  and  let  it 
run  out  on  the  tapes  until  it  is  about  six  inches  from  the  stop 
fingers  when  the  arms  are  thrown  back  as  far  as  they  will  go 
towards  the  cylinder.  Now  tighten  the  screw  good  and 
tight  in  lower  crank  on  end  of  cam  shaft.  On  high  speed, 
if  the  sheet  comes  down  and  strikes  the  stop  fingers  too 
hard,  loosen  screw  in  lower  crank  and  move  the  carriage 
a  little  faster.  In  fact,  in  this  manner  the  delivery  can  be  set 


WORKING  MECHANISM  55 

faster  or  slower  to  suit  the  operator.  To  set  the  sheet  stop 
fingers,  move  the  press  so  the  delivery  is  at  the  farthest 
position  towards  the  cylinder  when  connected  up  with  the 
cam  on  feeder  side  end  of  stop  finger  rod  resting  on  roller 
on  side  of  way  bar.  At  this  point  set  the  stop  fingers  so  they 
rest  down  on  ends  of  delivery  stick  sockets,  and  tighten 
set  screws. 

New  Style.  The  pusher  finger  mechanism  has  been 
changed  somewhat,  as  follows:  A  tumbler  is  provided  for 
controlling  the  fall  of  the  pusher  fingers.  This  tumbler  is 
fastened  to  the  small  rod  which  carries  the  pusher  fingers, 
and  is  held  in  position  by  a  set-screw.  The  proper  place  for 
this  tumbler  is  on  the  feeder  side  near  the  end  of  the  pusher 
finger  rod.  The  tumbler  should  be  set  so  that  it  engages  the 
rod  carrying  the  delivery  sticks,  as  it  moves  to  the  rear. 
In  setting  the  tumbler,  make  sure  that  the  delivery  stick 
rod  clears  the  top  of  the  tumbler  when  the  delivery  moves 
to  the  front. 

Attached  to  the  end  of  the  pusher  finger  rod,  feeder 
side,  is  a  small  lever  containing  a  swivel  stud;  also,  there 
is  attached  to  the  front  end  of  the  feeder  side  pusher  way 
(the  bar  with  notches  which  supports  the  pusher  finger 
bracket)  a  stud  with  a  hole  near  the  end.  A  small  L- 
shaped  trigger,  with  a  set  screw,  is  fastened  to  the  end  of  a 
long  wire  connecting  rod.  The  rod  passes  through  the  hole 
in  the  L-shaped  bracket  and  through  the  hole  in  the 
stud  on  pusher  way,  and  on  through  the  hole  in  the  swivel 
stud. 

To  adjust:  Loosen  the  set-screw  in  the  swivel  stud  and 
move  the  pusher  fingers  up  to  the  sheet,  with  pusher  fingers 
in  raised  position.  Before  tightening  the  set  screw  in  the 
swivel  stud,  move  the  wire  rod  to  the  front  until  the  trigger 


CYLINDER  PRESS 


56 

comes  up  against  the  stud  on  the  pusher  way.  The  above 
adjustments  must  be  made  with  the  delivery  connected  to 
the  press  by  means  of  the  delivery  connecting  rod,  operated 
from  the  cam  shaft,  in  order  that  the  correct  full  throw  of 
the  delivery  is  obtained.  Unless  the  pressman  is  familiar 
with  the  new  pusher  finger  device,  the  press  should  be 
turned  over  by  hand  after  the  above  adjustments  have  been 
made,  thus  averting  a  possible  accident. 

Oiling  the  Press.  It  is  essential  to  the  life  of  the  press 
that  it  be  carefully  oiled  at  every  point  where  there  is 
frictional  contact,  and  the  pressman  should  make  himself 
familiar  with  the  working  of  the  press  and  see  that  it  is  at  all 
times  thoroughly  oiled.  It  is  good  practice  to  oil  the  press 
at  every  point  twice  a  day,  once  in  the  morning  and  again 
at  noon,  especially  the  most  important  parts  such  as  cylin¬ 
der  boxes,  tracks,  roller  sockets.  There  are  about  255  oil 
holes  on  the  Miehle  press. 

Air  Heads.  It  is  essential  that  the  air  cushion  heads 
receive  attention  from  time  to  time,  in  order  that  the  proper 
air  pressure  shall  be  maintained  to  balance  the  combined 
moving  weight,  and  the  momentum,  when  the  type  bed 
is  reversing.  If  the  aid  heads  are  neglected,  the  cup  leathers 
contract  and  harden  so  that  part  of  the  air  passes  by  them 
as  they  enter  the  chambers.  As  a  result,  the  press  does  not 
run  smoothly  as  the  bed  reverses,  which  in  turn  causes 
undue  wear  on  the  gears,  cutting  of  bed  motion  roller  and 
the  steel  shoes. 

To  obtain  the  best  results,  the  cup  leathers  should  be 
reasonably  soft,  in  order  that  the  air  pressure  can  force  the 
beveled  edge  of  the  leather  out  against  the  sides  of  the 
chamber  and  prevent  the  air  from  escaping.  If  the  leather 
has  become  hard,  the  same  can  be  rejuvenated  by  placing 


WORKING  MECHANISM 


57 


the  heads  in  a  shallow  pan  containing  about  one-half  inch 
of  neatsfoot  oil,  and  allowing  the  leathers  to  soak  a  day  or 
two  as  the  case  may  be.  Machine  oil,  being  a  mineral  oil, 
is  not  good  for  the  leather. 

Before  adjusting  the  cup  leather  to  the  chamber,  take 
a  cloth  saturated  with  benzine  and  wipe  any  oil  or  grease 
from  the  leather,  also  wipe  the  chamber  clean,  as  neatsfoot 
oil  is  likely  to  gum  up  in  time. 

Take  the  connecting  rod  stud,  which  supports  the  de¬ 
livery  arm  when  the  fly  is  in  use,  from  the  feeder  side  of  the 
press,  and  use  this  as  a  handle,  by  screwing  same  into  the 
head.  The  head  can  then  be  moved  back  and  forth  in  the 
clean  chamber  and  tried  for  a  nice  running  fit.  After  ad¬ 
justing  the  leather  to  the  chamber,  oil  the  chamber  and  try 
the  head  again,  and  see  that  it  is  then  not  too  free.  With 
a  little  practice,  one  can  fit  these  heads  to  a  nicety. 

Care  and  Adjustments  of  Air  Heads.  The  air  cushion 
heads  are  equipped  with  expansion  springs,  by  means  of 
which  the  leather  can  be  forced  out  to  fit  the  chamber.  The 
new  style  heads  have  three  expansion  segments  which  are 
fastened  by  button  head  screws.  The  three  segments  are 
adjusted  concentrically  by  loosening  the  screws  and  turning 
the  air  cushion  head  expanding  nut  in  or  out  as  the  case 
may  be,  depending  on  whether  the  leather  is  too  large  or 
too  small.  The  expanding  nut  has  a  beveled  edge  so  that 
it  forces  each  segment  out  equally.  After  adjusting  the 
segments,  the  screws  should  be  tightened,  as  well  as  the  set 
screws  on  the  expanding  nut.  When  the  heads  are  too  tight 
in  the  chambers,  it  not  only  causes  undue  friction,  thus 
requiring  more  motor  power,  but  is  likely  to  cause  the  seg¬ 
ments  to  become  crystallized  and  break. 

The  valve  springs  are  more  stable,  and,  after  being  once 


CYLINDER  PRESS 


58 

adjusted,  will  require  comparatively  no  adjusting.  Of 
course,  after  a  time,  the  springs  weaken  and  will  allow  the 
valve  to  close  too  early,  thereby  developing  excessive 
pressure. 

As  was  stated  above,  if  the  air  is  not  adjusted  properly, 
the  bed-motion  roller  will  cut  the  steel  shoes.  If  there  is  not 
enough  air,  the  large  shoes  will  become  cut,  and  if  too  much 
air  is  carried,  then  the  small  shoes  will  become  cut. 

In  order  to  overcome  leaks,  several  points  should  be 
investigated.  See  that  the  heads  fit  the  chambers,  and  that 
no  segments  are  broken.  Note  that  no  dirt  is  under  valves. 
Also  see  that  all  bolts  and  nuts  are  tight,  and  that  there  are 
no  loose  pipe  connections. 

The  old  style  air  head  can  be  adjusted  to  the  chamber 
to  the  same  degree  of  nicety  as  the  new  style  head,  but  the 
tendency  is  to  fit  this  style  head  too  tight,  especially  when 
putting  in  an  expansion  spring.  At  times,  the  spring  will 
raise  the  collar  so  high  that  it  is  not  possible  to  get  a  full 
nut  and  the  tendency  is  to  force  the  spring  down,  which 
in  turn  expands  the  cup  leather  so  that  it  is  too  tight  for  the 
chamber. 

The  air  heads  should  be  adjusted  for  the  normal  speed 
of  the  press  with  one  of  the  usual  heavy  forms  on  the  bed. 
In  case  the  press  is  not  operated  at  the  normal  speed,  then 
the  heads  should  be  moved  back  in  order  to  decrease  the  air 
■  pressure.  A  good  rule  to  follow  for  lower  speed  is  to  move 
the  heads  back  about  pjMnch  with  each  decrease  of  speed 
amounting  to  300  impressions  per  hour.  On  the  newer 
machines  this  changing  is  taken  care  of-  by  a  new  release 
valve,  and  needs  no  air  head  changing. 

Starting  a  Press.  The  control  system  that  the  author 
believes  best,  is  the  push  button  system,  instant  start  and 


WORKING  MECHANISM 


59 


instant  stop,  with  a  slow  speed  button,  also  an  incher,  which 
allows  the  press  to  be  moved  slowly,  or,  in  other  words,  an 
inch  at  a  time,  for  packing,  make-ready,  etc. 

For  “hair”  register  work  it  is  absolutely  necessary  to 
keep  the  press  at  one  speed  throughout  the  entire  run,  so 
the  idea  of  instant  starting  eliminates  the  “off”  register 
sheets  that  are  printed,  during  the  time  the  operator  gets 
the  re-start  in  proper  position  after  each  and  every  stop. 

Stopping  Cylinder  Press.  The  press  should  be  stopped 
with  the  “gripper  edge”  of  cylinder  at  the  very  end  of 
stripper  fingers;  this  places  the  form  exactly  in  the  rear  of 
machine.  The  pressman  will  no  doubt  desire  to  have  the 
feeder  stop  “at  once,”  for  some  reason,  possibly  something 
wrong,  either  with  machine  or  the  prints.  He  should  make 
a  hissing  sound  which  the  feeder  should  heed  at  once,  and 
stop,  first  putting  on  the  trip,  shutting  off  power,  and  putting 
on  brake.  This  may  avoid  bad  breaks.  The  pressman  knows 
by  the  sound  of  his  machine  if  all  is  well,  and  as  the  short 
hiss  would  not  possibly  be  caused  by  the  machine,  it  makes 
an  excellent  stop  signal,  instead  of  unusual  gestures  or  yells. 

Trip  Impression.  The  pressman  may  order  the  feeder 
to  “trip  her  up.  ”  This  means:  do  not  print,  allow  the  cylin¬ 
der  to  stay  up,  for  reasons  that  will  be  explained  later.  “The 
trip  on”  means  to  print,  “trip  off,”  machine  will  not  print. 

Feeding  Cylinder  Press.  There  are  two  different  ways, 
namely,  draw  feed,  and  push  feed.  As  the  paper  which 
comes  to  cylinder  press  is  not  trimmed,  it  is  absolutely 
necessary  to  retain  the  same  guide  edges,  and  this  necessi¬ 
tates  the  draw  and  push  method.  Draw  feeding  is  to  draw 
the  sheet  to  you  for  the  side  guide ;  push  feeding,  push  from 
you  to  side  guide.  For  very  close  register  work  or  not,  a 
feeder  should  feed  every  job  to  the  guides  accurately;  then 


6o 


CYLINDER  PRESS 


all  jobs  look  alike  to  him,  no  worry  about  “will  they  regis¬ 
ter?”  which  causes  woe  and  grief.  There  is  no  telling  if 
the  sheets  may  for  some  reason  be  run  through  again, 
whether  a  letter  may  not  have  pulled  out,  etc.  The  proper 
way  to  feed  is  grasp  the  upper  right  corner  of  sheet  with 
right  hand,  being  careful  not  to  break  corners,  fly  sheet, 
which  means  allow  air  to  come  between  sheets,  lower  to 
bottom  guides,  with  the  assistance  of  left  hand,  just  as  they 
come  down  on  guide  tongues,  then  grasp  sheet  between 
thumb  and  forefinger  of  left-hand,  with  the  middle  finger 
nail  resting  against  edge  of  sheet  and  push  the  sheet  up  to 
side  guide  with  this  finger.  It  is  impossible  to  crowd  the 
guide  this  way,  and  it  is  very  easy  to  feed.  This  allows’the 
palm  of  hand  to  rest  on  feed  board.  The  right  receives  a 
rest  when  grasping  the  corner  of  sheet,  thus  feeding  is  made 
easier,  and  does  not  tire  your  arms  by  continuous  feeding 
with  arms  raised. 

Impressions  Per  Hour.  Every  press  has  been  tested 
for  maximum  number  of  impressions  the  press  will  stand 
per  hour — it  is  not  proper  to  expect  more. 

The  smaller  sizes  of  cylinders  will  run  nearly  3,500  im¬ 
pressions.  The  larger  machines  run  a  less  number  of 
impressions  per  hour. 

Kind  of  Work  Press  is  Suited  For.  There  are  a  num¬ 
ber  of  specially  constructed  presses  for  ticket  printers, 
bread  wrappers,  imprinting,  printing  and  making  of  envel¬ 
opes,  and  so  on.  The  Miehle  will  handle  with  entire  satis¬ 
faction  all  kinds  of  work,  from  the  cheap  dodger  to  the 
finest  color  process  printing. 

To  Clean  Bed.  To  clean  the  bed  of  press  and  fountain 
of  all  dried  ink,  etc.,  use  a  piece  of  pumice  stone,  as  this  will 
not  cut  like  emery  cloth;  or  clean  the  bed  with  lye  solution. 


CYLINDER  PRESS  MAKE-READY 


CYLINDER  PRESSWORK  RULES 

1.  Packing,  including  sheet  to  be  printed  on, 
should  be  only  one  sheet  (or  .004")  above  cylinder 
bearers. 

2.  Placing  form,  be  sure  it  is  safely  back  of  head 
line.  Even  up  quoins  on  gripper  edge,  also  back  edge 
after  loosening  them,  then  loosen  side  quoins  a  trifle 
and  lock  bed  clamps  just  snug.  If  any  new  cuts,  be 
sure  that  they  are  not  more  than  type-high.  Then 
tighten  quoins,  starting  at  corners,  just  snug;  plane 
down  the  whole  form  well,  lifting  planer  on  all  cuts. 
Next  finish  locking  quoins,  but  not  too  tight,  as  this 
causes  work-ups. 

3.  On  first  sheet,  get  proper  gripper  hold,  then 
move  form  as  needed  for  correct  position  on  sheet. 

4.  Underlay,  to  make  cuts  type-high,  except  vig¬ 
nettes — make  these  one  sheet  (.004")  lower  than  type- 
high. 

5.  Press  Adjustments.  See  that  guides  are  in 
position,  with  tongues  one  lead  (.027")  above  packing 
when  cylinder  is  up.  See  that  all  grippers  and  shoofly 
fingers  clear  all  cylinder  bands  and  strippers.  Then 
put  sheet  in  grippers,  with  cylinder  down  as  if  to  print. 
Now  set  all  cylinder  bands;  be  sure  cylinder  is  down. 

6.  Print  sheet  for  position  O.K.  After  this  is  O.K., 
proceed  to  mark  out  first  sheet.  Just  even  up  the 
form,  or  impression,  and  paste  overlays,  if  any,  on 


62 


CYLINDER  PRESS 


first  sheet.  Cut  out  extra  high  places,  patch  up  the 
low  ones  and  leave  patches  off  middles  and  be  sure 
to  place  overlays  exactly  on  cylinder.  Build  up  by 
steps,  and  make  your  marks  go  to  the  very  edge  of  low 
SPOTS.  Do  not  try  to  patch  up  when  cuts  need  under¬ 
lays,  or  your  make-ready  will  be  soggy  and  form  a 
matrix,  a  sure  source  of  undue  wear. 

7.  Second  Sheet.  Continue  to  even  up  impression 
same  as  on  the  first.  Patch  up  bad  letters  here. 

8.  Third  Sheet.  If  necessary,  finish  evening  up, 
also  patch  letters. 

9.  Fountain.  In  setting,  start  at  center  and  work 
both  ways.  Never  cut  ink  entirely  dry;  always  leave 
a  thin  film  of  ink  on  all  places  between  gutters.  Mark 
fountain  with  chalk,  where  you  desire  ink;  this  will 
assist  greatly  in  case  one  spot  demands  more  or  less 
ink.  From  three  to  six  notches  are  best. 

10.  SAFETY  FIRST! 

Correct  Packing  of  Cylinder  Press.  The  writer  has 
seen  many  a  pressman  hunting  up  the  other  man  who 
packed  such  and  such  a  machine,  to  learn  from  him  the 
correct  amount  of  packing.  This  is  so  ridiculous,  for  if  one 
claims  to  be  a  mechanic,  he  should,  by  all  means,  know  how 
much  packing  a  press  takes.  All  presses  are  not  cut  alike, 
some  are  cut  deeper  than  others — but  the  Meihle  is  cut 
.068"  from  cylinder  bearer  to  the  bare  cylinder. 

The  packing,  including  the  sheet  to  be  printed,  should  be 
only  one  thin  sheet  (.004")  above  cylinder  bearers.  This 
can  easily  be  ascertained  with  small  pieces  of  manila  and 
other  sheets  you  intend  to  pack  with  by  laying  same  on 
bare  cylinder,  using  a  straight-edge  to  test  for  correct  height. 


MAKE-READY 


63 


Packing  Press. 

1.  The  press  will  take  two  or  three  loose  manila 
hangers.  They  should  extend  the  entire  width  of 
cylinder  from  bearer  to  bearer. 

2.  Fold  over  about  two  inches,  and  be  absolutely 
sure  the  crease  is  square  with  the  sides,  and  very 
prominent.  For  length  they  should  extend  to  the 
reel  rods  only. 

3.  Run  press  around  so  grippers  are  open ;  raise  the 
shoofly  fingers;  open  the  cylinder  clamp  and  paste 
only  along  the  ledge  of  cylinder  where  the  clamps 
rest.  Do  not  get  paste  over  the  edge  on  cylinder. 

4.  Put  on  sheet  No.  1  and  be  careful  to  get  it  on 
smooth.  Paste  the  edge  again;  put  on  sheet  No.  2. 

5.  Now  you  are  ready  to  put  on  bottom  draw. 
This  is  cut  and  creased  the  same  way,  with  the  ex¬ 
ception  that  it  is  about  one  foot  longer  to  allow  you 
to  wrap  it  around  the  reel  rod.  Fit  it  snug  and 
tight.  After  you  have  pasted  the  ledge  on  cylinder, 
place  sheet  in  position,  then  tighten  clamps  on 
feeder  end  of  cylinder,  and  lower  the  shoofly  fingers. 
Turn  press  around  slowly,  resting  one  hand  on  the 
cylinder  to  smooth  out  wrinkles  as  cylinder  turns. 
Wrap  around  reel  rod  and  tighten  with  pin  wrench, 
and  then  lock  the  rod  with  the  latch  on  feeder 
side. 

6.  Turn  cylinder  until  grippers  are  open,  raise 
shoofly  fingers  and  put  in  about  five  loose  hangers 
the  same  length  and  width  as  the  short  manilas, 
using  a  “wood  cut”  enamel  equal  to  about  70  lb. 
basis.  This  enamel  paper  is  coated  on  stock  made 
almost  entirely  of  wood  pulp.  Then  add  the  top 


64 


CYLINDER  PRESS 


draw  of  the  same  kind  of  manila  and  same  length 
as  the  bottom  draw.  This  is  all  creased  and  pasted 
carefully. 

7.  Proceed  to  tighten  the  cylinder  clamps  and 
lower  shoofly  fingers.  Smooth  out  packing 
carefully  as  cylinder  revolves.  Inspect  your  pack¬ 
ing  by  examining  the  gripper  edge. 

8.  It  is  assumed  that  the  pressman  has  properly 
dressed  the  cylinder;  that  the  packing  lies  firmly 
and  flat  on  the  metal;  that  the  sheets  are  the  right 
number  and  even  and  smooth;  that  the  draw  sheet 
and  tympan  are  uniformly  tight,  without  buckle 
or  wrinkle,  but  lying  flat  and  smooth  on  the  cylin¬ 
der.  These  conditions  must  prevail  before  any 
attempt  is  made  to  make  ready. 

The  pressman  should  never  forget  that  he  is 
working  on  a  machine  whose  every  motion  is  cal¬ 
culated  to  a  nicety,  so  accurate  that  a  thickness  of 
a  paper  makes  a  marked  difference  in  adjustment, 
and  that  this  same  difference  may  change  the 
relative  motions  of  the  bed  and  cylinder,  or  change 
the  form  and  tympan  surfaces,  which  must  travel 
together  with  absolute  precision. 

Laying  the  Form. 

1.  If  the  form  is  large,  filling  the  entire  width  of  the 
bed,  we  have  no  choice  as  to  placing  it  endwise. 
But  if  the  form  is  small,  take  a  sheet  of  stock  the 
correct  size  and  run  press  so  the  grippers  are  up. 
Lay  sheet  down  to  gripper  edge  and  in  such  posi¬ 
tion  that  you  will  not  be  under  the  necessity  of 
having  to  move  a  gripper.  This  is  done  for  a  num¬ 
ber  of  reasons:  (a)  the  sheet  should  not  be  too  far 


MAKE-READY 


65 


from  the  feeder,  or  he  will  have  to  reach,  or  lay 
over  the  board,  which  is  difficult;  (b)  all  grippers 
should  be  distributed  evenly  across  the  cylinder 
and  very  rarely  changed,  as  this  requires  a  lot  of 
time,  and  is  absolutely  unnecessary.  The  changing 
of  grippers  means  changing  the  cylinder  bands 
and  stripper  fingers. 

2.  Place  sheet  so  the  end  grippers  nearest  the  out¬ 
side  corners  of  sheet  are  about  one  inch  in  from 
corner.  Never  run  with  a  gripper  on  the  very  cor¬ 
ner  of  a  sheet. 

3.  When  sheet  is  in  good  position,  set  the  side 
guide  to  be  one  pica  above  the  iron  on  the  feed 
board.  Make  this  a  standing  rule. 

4.  Run  press  so  the  grippers  are  closed  and  the 
very  edge  of  cylinder  is  even  with  stripper  fingers. 

This  places  the  bed  at  the  very  back. 

I  wish  to  impress  on  your  mind  the  importance 
of  laying  forms.  If  it  is  a  small  form  and  does  not 
fill  the  width  of  the  bed,  set  side  guide  first;  if  form 
fills  bed,  you  have  no  choice. 

A  Type  Form.  Wipe  off  the  bed.  Ascertain  which  is 
the  gripper  edge,  and  put  form  on  so  that  the  gripper  edge 
of  form  is  nearest  you.  Take  half  the  center  margin, 
which  contains  chase  bar,  running  parallel  with  cylinder, 
and  measure  from  the  outside  edge  of  type  nearest  you  so 
the  paper  will  extend  two  picas  beyond  the  headline.  When 
you  have  correct  position  on  sheet  (never  allow  any  part  of 
form  to  extend  beyond  the  headline)  fill  in  back  with  fur¬ 
niture  or  press  locks,  whichever  you  have.  If  you  have 
guides  set  and  can  move  form  endwise,  place  sheet  of  stock 
up  to  side  guides  and  measure  from  the  cylinder  bearer  to 


66 


CYLINDER  PRESS 


the  feeder  end  of  sheet.  Take  this  measurement  back  to  the 
form.  Secure  the  half  of  center  margin  at  the  bottom  of 
pages,  add  this  to  the  measurement  you  secured  from  sheet 
to  cylinder  bearer,  and  move  form  so  the  bottom  page  near 
feeder  side  is  this  entire  measurement  from  the  bed  bearer. 
Now  you  have  correct  position  of  form  on  bed.  Always 
remember  that  paper  extending  beyond  the  headline  is 
gripper  hold,  and  if  any  part  of  form  extends  beyond  the 
headline  it  will  be  smashed  by  the  grippers. 

Locking  on  Form.  Unlock  the  quoins  and  make  them 
all  even  front  and  back,  also  on  the  ends  if  you  intend  to 
lock  on  endwise  (if  not  the  quoins  on  ends  should  be  opened 
only  a  trifle).  After  quoins  are  even,  place  furniture  between 
the  chase  and  bed  locks  and  lock  the  form  on  snug,  using 
pin  wrench.  Tighten  the  quions  a  trifle,  starting  at  the 
corners,  so  the  quoins  drive  towards  the  cross  bars.  Plane 
down  the  form,  always  lifting  the  planer  on  cuts.  Then 
finish  tightening  the  quoins — not  too  tight,  but  snug. 

The  Use  of  Planer.  Get  into  the  habit  of  laying  the 
planer  down  on  its  side  Occasionally  the  face  of  a  planer 
becomes  slightly  sticky,  so  that  grains  of  grit  and  even  small 
pieces  of  type  metal  will  adhere  to  it.  If  laid  on  the  side, 
there  is  less  likelihood  of  anything  being  jammed  into  the 
face  of  a  form  when  the  planer  is  used.  As  an  extra  precau¬ 
tion,  also,  wipe  the  planer’s  face  with  the  hand  before 
using  it.  Such  little  things  as  these,  costing  nothing  and 
requiring  no  extra  time,  are  sure  signs  of  a  printer’s  pro¬ 
ficiency. 

First  Impression.  Run  palm  of  hand  over  form  quickly 
to  ascertain  if  any  leads  or  other  foreign  matter  are  laying 
on  its  surface,  or  in  gutters.  Now  you  are  ready  to  ink  up 
the  press.  After  this  is  done  and  ink  distributed  evenly, 


MAKE-READY 


6  7 

print  a  sheet.  Then  mark  the  side  guide  and  gripper  edge 
with  an  X.  Measure  up  the  gripper  edge,  see  if  it  is  just 
half  the  measure  of  the  gutter  running  parallel  with  the 
cylinder.  If  not,  first  look  at  gripper  hold;  if  you  can  get 
proper  position  by  raising  or  lowering  the  guides,  do  so,  but 
do  not  change  guides  if  you  have  just  two  picas  gripper  hold. 
In  that  case  move  the  form.  Now  check  up  the  margin  at 
the  side  guide,  which  should  equal  half  the  gutter  running 
parallel  with  the  bearers.  Correct  it  either  by  moving  guide 
or  form.  If  it  is  necessary  to  move  form,  it  is  not  necessary 
to  unlock  quoins;  just  unlock  the  bed  locks,  move  form, 
then  tighten  these  again. 

Take  this  same  sheet  and  examine  the  impression  which 
may  be  O.K.  for  impression.  You  must  insert  two  or  three 
sheets  of  its  own  stock  for  make-ready.  Open  the  top  draw 
and  put  number  of  sheets  desired  of  its  own  stock  under¬ 
neath  the  loose  enamel  hangers  or  on  top  of  bottom  draw, 
then  remove  enough  of  packing  to  equal  thickness  of  sheets. 
Place  them  in  loose ;  do  not  paste  at  this  time. 

Reel  in  top  sheet  and  lower  board  and  pull  another  im¬ 
pression.  Mark  the  guide  edges  and  if  position  and  impres¬ 
sion  are  O.K.,  submit  this  sheet  for  position  O.K.,  for  the 
correct  imposition,  margins,  etc.  Then  back  up  a  sheet: 
first  feed  it  to  side  guide  for  first  impression,  then  place  a  pin 
in  the  feed  board  for  temporary  opposite  guide  for  backing 
up.  To  make  it  register,  merely  move  pin,  as  the  side  guide 
is  O.K.  according  to  margins,  and  must  not  be  moved.  The 
writer  has  known  of  pressmen  who  pull  impressions,  one 
after  another,  to  try  to  strike  one  the  proper  size,  to  back  up 
squarely.  This  shows  inefficiency  and  wastes  stock.  The 
best  method  is  to  use  the  pin.  Since  the  sheet  is  usually  too 
long  to  lie  between  the  side  guide  and  the  temporary  pin,  it 


68 


CYLINDER  PRESS 


is  necessary  to  cut  a  narrow  strip  off  the  opposite  side  guide 
end.  This  is  done  for  the  reason  that  stock  for  a  cylinder 
press  is  rarely  trimmed  and  the  sheets  vary  in  length.  We 
must  square  up  a  form  before  we  make  ready.  If  sheets  all 
run  long,  the  center  margin  can  be  increased,  and  the 
guide  likewise;  but  if  they  run  short,  the  margins  should  be 
made  smaller. 

Assuming  that  the  position  and  impression  are  O.K., 
remove  the  pin  and  pull  an  impression.  Mark  the  sections 
“one  F,”  “two  F,”  “one”  and  “two.”  “One  and  two  F” 
means  feeder  side  of  press.  “One”  signifies  nearest  the 
gripper  edge,  “one  and  two”  the  opposite  side  or  gear  side. 
Cut  up  into  marked  sections  to  facilitate  easier  handling. 

Take  to  mark-out  board  and  proceed  to  mark  out  on  the 
back.  I  advise  using  a  carbon  sheet  underneath,  to  keep 
from  making  marks  on  face  to  conflict  with  those  on  back  of 
sheet,  also  to  show  you  what  has  been  done  on  back  of  sheet, 
when  you  examine  the  face  of  print. 

When  marking  out  type,  or  zinc  etchings,  mark  these 
out  on  back  of  sheet  according  to  the  amount  of  impression. 
We  should  be  able  to  see  a  faint  amount  of  squeeze  or  im¬ 
pression  when  held  up  to  light,  or  laid  on  mark-out  board 
in  a  slanting  position. 

Standard  Marks.  We  have  a  series  of  marks  to  use 
when  marking  out,  so  we  can  do  it  intelligently,  also  so 
another  can  patch  up  our  sheets  correctly. 

All  marks  or  a  series  of  circles  without  a  letter  therein 
signifying  that  they  require  heavier  paper  than  tissue,  mean 
to  use  tissue.  It  is  understood  so. 

All  marks  or  circles  with  the  letter  “F”  therein  mean 
“Folio”  paper,  which  is  twice  as  thick  as  tissue. 

All  marks,  circles,  or  enclosed  circles  with  the  words 


MAKE-READY 


69 


Diagram  showing  proper  way  to  cut  printed  make-ready 
sheet  into  sections  before  marking  out. 


The  dotted  lines  show  where  one  should  cut.  On  the  gripper 
edge  you  should  remove  the  narrow  strip  which  projects  over 
edge  of  cylinder.  In  center  margins  remove  a  narrow  strip  jto 
permit  one  to  match  on  the  patch-up  make-ready  sheets  to 
better  advantage. 


70 


CYLINDER  PRESS 


“All  F”  means  these  patches  are  to  be  patched  with  all  folio. 

All  marks  with  the  “X”  marked  therein,  mean  cut  out 
or  “exit.” 

All  marks  or  circles  with  the  letter  “S”  therein  mean 
to  scrape.  On  coated  or  enameled  paper  we  peel  the  coating 
to  reduce  the  amount  of  pressure  slightly;  on  machine 
finish  we  dampen  the  spot  and  rub — this  reduces  the  im¬ 
pression. 

All  marks  or  circles  marked  with  the  letter  “P”  mean 
a  piece  of  paper. 

All  marks  or  circles  marked  with  the  letter  “P”  with 
the  word  “Own”  following,  mean  a  piece  of  its  own  stock. 

All  marks  or  circles  marked  “See”  mean  there  is  some¬ 
thing  for  the  pressman  to  examine  at  press,  maybe  letter 
to  be  planed  down,  or  a  little  dirt,  or  bit  of  wood  in  packing 
causing  it  to  punch  through. 

Proceed  with  marking  out;  examine  the  back  of  sheet 
carefully.  It  is  your  purpose  to  make  the  impression  of  each 
page  even.  Make  the  big  patches  first;  that  is  to  say,  don’t 
start  at  the  lowest  spot  and  by  a  series  of  circles  build  out. 
For  instance,  if  one  side  of  page  is  low,  give  it  a  big  patch 
first,  by  making  your  lead  pencil  come  to  the  very  edge  of 
where  it  starts  to  slope  down  to  a  lighter  impression.  Don’t 
get  the  habit  of  making  your  marks  represent  a  saw  edge; 
this  is  positively  wrong  and  exceedingly  hard  to  patch  up. 
Do  not  guess:  make  the  impression  on  the  back  show  you 
where  to  make  your  marks,  and  if  you  can  not  see  any  more 
and,  on  turning  over  the  sheet,  it  shows  a  patch  needed  here, 
your  carbon  sheet  will  prove  to  you  if  you  have  one  marked 
on  the  back  of  sheet. 

As  you  mark  out,  section  by  section,  the  feeder  will 
patch  them  up  carefully.  See  that  he  uses  very  little  paste. 


MAKE-READY 


7i 

Merely  paste  in  spots  here  and  there,  particularly  on  outer 
edges.  Patch  small  ones  first,  otherwise  you  can  not  see 
small  patch  marks  when  you  have  the  large  ones  on.  Never 
patch  up  bad  letters  on  first  sheet.  Wait  and  see  when  the 
impression  is  even ;  they  may  print.  Otherwise  it  would  be 
necessary  be  remove  those  patches.  After  all  sheets  are 
patched  up,  print  on  a  sheet  and  leave  fastened  in  grippers, 
or  print  on  packing  to  punch.  If  you  have  half-tone  over¬ 
lays,  it  is  always  best  to  print  on  packing:  it  insures  the 
exact  placing  of  sheet  on  cylinder. 

Punch  two  places  with  a  darning  needle,  for  each  in¬ 
dividual  section,  at  the  very  end  of  hyphens,  corners  of 
“W,  ”  or  anywhere  you  find  a  good  point.  After  all  four 
sections  are  punched,  it  is  the  feeder’s  duty  to  wash  off  the 
packing  with  benzine  and  a  clean  cloth.  Open  up  packing 
paste  each  section  as  you  put  it  on,  on  the  gripper  edge  only; 
and  register  same  according  to  punch  marks,  or  the  needle 
holes,  allowing  a  point  towards  the  gripper  edge. 

Now,  as  you  have  three  sheets  of  its  own  stock  in  the 
packing,  and  you  are  putting  in  another,  to  have  the  im¬ 
pression  remain  the  same,  remove  one  of  these  blank  sheets. 
Now  reel  in  your  packing.  Print  on  another  sheet  and  see 
if  it  needs  another  mark-out  sheet.  If  it  does,  mark  out 
in  same  manner  as  you  did  the  first,  by  marking  each  sec¬ 
tion,  “one  F,”  “two  F,”  “one”  and  “two.”  Cut  in  sections 
mark  out  on  the  board  all  low  spots.  Make  the  impression 
tell  you  where  to  make  the  marks.  Patch  it  up.  Open  the 
packing  and  match  on  to  the  first  sheet,  “  no  need  to  punch.” 
Patch  all  bad  letters  on  second  sheet.  But  supposing  it  needs 
just  a  few  small  patches,  open  up  the  packing,  and  put  these 
few  patches  on  the  printed  side  of  first  sheet.  Paste  the 
gripper  edge  of  blank  sheet,  then  you  are  nearly  ready. 


72 


CYLINDER  PRESS 


Now  print  a  sheet,  tear  off  a  corner  on  the  end  the  side 
guide  is  on,  and  use  this  piece  to  measure  from  bottom  of 
type  page.  Put  a  small  brad  or  tack  in  furniture  so  it  will 
just  make  a  faint  mark  on  the  extreme  guide  edge  of  sheet. 
This  should  be  the  same  height  as  type — you  can  readily 
test  for  height  with  a  piece  of  furniture.  This  tack  mark 
is  to  show  at  all  times  the  side  guide  edge,  and  shows  the 
feeder  the  guide  edge  when  backing  up  a  sheet.  The  tack 
must  be  removed  when  backing  up  a  sheet.  It  is  used  only 
on  one  side.  It  also  avoids  the  possibility  of  folding  to  the 
wrong  edge. 

Book  Forms.  If  you  have  a  number  of  these  forms,  it 
is  best,  after  you  secure  position  O.K.,  to  make  a  guide 
from  press  board,  showing  the  distance  of  printed  matter 
from  gripper  edge  of  sheet,  also  the  side  guide,  and  make 
them  uniform  on  each  form.  This  enables  the  folding  to  be 
uniform  throughout  the  entire  run. 

Delivery.  The  fly  delivery  puts  the  sheets  face  down  on 
board,  and,  on  ordinary  type  work,  saves  turning  the  stock 
over  when  ready  to  back  it  up.  The  other  delivers  the  sheet 
face  up.  It  requires  only  a  few  minutes  to  set  the  delivery 
for  the  sheet  to  be  run,  and  also  the  jogger  boards  which 
“jog”  and  keep  sheets  straight  when  delivered  on  delivery 
board.  All  work  should  be  kept  straight. 

Setting  Fountain.  Mark  the  position  of  form  and  of 
all  its  gutters  on  the  fountain,  and  have  the  duck  or 
fountain  roller  up  against  the  steel  fountain  roller  when 
turning  to  set.  Start  in  the  center  to  turn  the  screws  to 
regulate  the  flow,  and  do  not  cut  the  ink  entirely  dry  on  any 
part  of  the  steel  fountain  roller;  then  set  it  at  about  four 
or  five  nicks. 

On  black  work,  the  writer  prefers  only  about  two  or 


MAKE-READY 


73 

three  nicks  on  the  fountain,  as  this  allows  a  certain  amount 
of  dirt,  dust,  etc.,  to  work  off  gradually.  The  rollers  hold 
the  same  and  when  washed  up  we  therefore  rid  ourselves  of 
so  much  dirt.  Then  when  this  particular  job  is  off  we 
haven’t  a  fountain  full  of  dirty  ink,  which  would  never  be 
put  back  into  the  fountain  again.  This  is  especially  true  of 
dusty  stock — so  open  the  screws  and  work  it  off  gradually. 

Watching  Work.  A  pressman  should  keep  the  right 
amount  of  color,  and  keep  it  even,  throughout  the  entire 
run.  To  eliminate  guessing,  rub  finger  across  the  entire 
sheet  over  wet  print  and  see  if  it  is  all  evenly  smudged. 
Pressmen  must  watch  carefully  for  “workups,”  that  is, 
quads  or  leads  coming  up. 

Letters  may  pull  out  or  break  off.  He  must  not  attempt 
to  read  each  page  over.  He  must  familiarize  himself  with 
the  appearance  of  the  printed  sheet,  and  be  watching  con¬ 
stantly  to  see  if  anything  is  wrong.  He  should  empty  the 
delivery  board,  and  see  that  feeder  feeds  all  sheets  up  to 
guides;  at  the  same  time  listen  to  the  sound  of  his  press. 
One  can  readily  tell  by  experience  if  all  is  running  smoothly. 

To  Avoid  Trouble  from  Work-ups.  The  use  of  accu¬ 
rate  chases  is  very  necessary  to  avoid  work-ups.  Electrically 
welded  steel  chases  are  best.  Cross-bars  should  be  used 
with  heavy  forms.  The  quoins  should  be  placed  to  drive 
towards  the  cross-bars.  The  stamp  on  the  chase  shows 
which  side  should  be  up.  The  chase  is  not  accurate  if  used 
with  bottom  side  up. 

Nothing  can  take  the  place  of  justification  or  make  up 
for  faulty  justification.  After  planing  down  and  locking 
up  form  on  the  stone,  the  key  (small  end  in)  should  be 
placed  under  the  chase.  The  form  may  then  be  tested  for 
loose  lines,  plates,  etc.  Each  loose  spot  is  marked  with  a 


CYLINDER  PRESS 


74 

bit  of  pasteboard  or  paper.  The  chase  is  laid  flat  on  stone; 
then  form  is  unlocked,  and  the  loose  spots  marked  by  bits 
of  paper  are  made  secure.  This  work  is  done  by  the  stone- 
man. 

After  the  chase  and  form  have  been  placed  on  the  bed 
of  the  press,  the  form  should  be  unlocked  and  planed  down 
again  and  the  chase  tested  to  see  that  it  is  not  sprung.  If 
not  sprung  too  much,  a  good  remedy  is  to  place  strips  of 
cardboard  between  the  chase’s  lower  edge  and  the  bed 
of  clamps  and  furniture. 

Strips  of  damp  strawboard  placed  along  the  edges  of 
pages  in  which  the  work-ups  occur  will  often  help  in  short 
runs.  When  time  for  justification  is  lacking,  the  same  strips 
along  column  rules  are  helpful. 

If  the  bed  of  your  press  is  not  down  on  the  bedways,  some 
of  the  work-ups  may  be  traced  to  this  faulty  adjustment. 

Sometimes  the  work-ups  may  be  stopped  by  placing 
strips  of  cardboard  one-quarter  inch  wide  along  the  inside 
of  the  upper  edge  of  the  chase.  Sometimes  cardboard  so 
used  along  the  lower  edge  of  form  will  stop  the  work-ups. 
It  is  necessary  to  watch  for  the  cause,  and  when  once  located 
the  remedy  is  not  hard  to  apply. 

A  prolific  cause  of  work-ups  is  a  cut  that  is  on  a  warped 
base  or  a  base  not  square.  Cuts  not  properly  underlaid  also 
cause  work-ups.  These  cuts  work  up  under  the  impression 
and  lift  the  adjacent  parts  of  the  form.  The  quads  and 
spaces  gradually  work  up  until  inked  by  the  rollers,  when 
they  print.  The  remedies  are  to  re-mount  cuts  with  warped 
bases,  or  bases  not  square,  and  to  improve  the  underlay 
where  needed. 

Chases.  Imperfect  chases  cause  loss  of  register  as  much 
as  badly  trimmed  cuts.  See  that  patent  quoins  on  register 


MAKE-READY 


75 


work  do  not  lock  against  the  steel  of  the  chase,  or  against 
metal  furniture.  Interpose  a  bit  of  cardboard  or  reglet.  *For 
close  work  a  straightaway  quoin  is  best;  that  is,  a  quoin 
with  a  screw  in  the  center  that  pushes  directly  outwards. 
Quoins  on  the  wedge  principle,  like  the  Hempel,  have  a 
forward  and  backward  thrust,  and  it  requires  great  care  to 
lock  these  twice  alike  without  more  or  less  twist.  If  it  is 
necessary  to  unlock  a  form  so  locked,  keep  the  run  following 
separate,  so  that  guides  may  be  changed  on  the  next  color, 
or  on  the  turn,  if  necessary. 

Various  Forms.  We  have  what  is  called  a  “sheetwise” 
form,  where  the  first  form  is  printed  and  then  backed  up 
by  another  form.  The  stoneman  should  mark  the  gripper 
edge  of  chase  with  chalk,  and  also  the  side  guides,  whether 
a  “push”  feed  or  a  “draw”  feed. 

A  “work  and  turn”  form  is  printed  on  the  one  side  and 
backed  up  on  the  other  side  with  the  same  form,  when  dry. 
The  stoneman  should  mark  the  gripper  edge,  and  on  a 
work-and-turn,  the  center  bar  running  across  the  chase. 
By  this  method  a  pressman  can  discern  the  proper  guide 
edges.  Otherwise,  we  may  experience  trouble  on  the  folder, 
as  we  have  “inside”  forms  and  “outside”  forms;  these  are 
“sheetwise.”  A  work-and-turn  form  has  two  complete 
copies  on  the  printed  sheet. 

Wash-up.  Run  kerosene  on  press,  then  remove  rollers, 
composition  only,  and,  using  a  soiled  rag,  remove  most  of 
the  ink.  Then  go  over  the  roller  again  with  a  clean  rag  and 
wipe  roller  thoroughly.  This  second  rag  will  be  the  soiled 
rag  for  the  next  wash-up. 

Wash  out  form  with  benzine  and  a  brush,  then  dry  off 
with  a  rag  containing  no  buttons  or  pins.  Never  use  a 
brush  to  wash  out  a  type  form  if  you  intend  to  print  im- 


76  CYLINDER  PRESS 

mediately  afterwards;  take  cloth  saturated  with  benzine. 

Quick  Make-ready  of  Type  Forms.  This  method  is 
for  use  only  where  you  have  short  runs  and  the  job  doesn’t 
warrant  the  consuming  of  much  time  for  make-ready. 

Pack  the  press,  using  a  bottom  draw-sheet.  Instead  of 
wood-cut  enamel  paper  for  loose  hangers,  use  about  six 
sheets  of  egg-shell  book,  or  offset  book,  then  a  top  sheet. 

The  position  of  form  is  secured  as  previously  stated, 
measuring  the  gutters,  etc.;  after  which  we  find  that  where 
the  impression  is  a  trifle  weak,  the  soft  packing  will  cause 
it  to  print  O.K.  on  the  face.  We  further  find  it  requires 
very  little  make-ready  in  the  way  of  spotting  up,  possibly 
one  “spot-up”  sheet. 

You  can  run  off  a  number  of  forms  using  this  same 
packing,  and  it  is  a  vast  time-saver,  particularly  on  short 
runs. 

Deckle-edge  Stock.  When  running  deckle-edge  stock, 
to  secure  register  on  back-up  or  on  a  two-color  job,  take  a 
sheet  and  mark  the  position  of  guides  by  placing  on  the 
press  in  exact  position.  Then,  just  before  you  put  up  a  lift 
of  stock,  lay  this  sheet  with  guide  marks  thereon  and  hold 
the  paper  firmly  with  one  hand.  Use  a  coarse  file  or  a  rasp 
and  smooth  up  the  deckle  between  the  marks,  where  the 
guides  come.  This  will  never  be  noticed  when  sheets  are 
bound  or  when  they  are  separate. 

Type  and  Rules  for  Two-color  Form.  The  packing 
of  press  should  be  a  hard  packing,  consisting  of  a  bottom 
bottom  draw  sheet,  tight,  about  five  loose  hangers  above 
this  draw,  of  wood-cut  enamel,  about  equal  to  70-lb.  stock, 
then  the  top  sheet. 

Take  a  sheet  and  get  the  proper  position  of  guides,  and 
lay  the  form  as  set  forth  in  the  Cylinder  Press  rules.  Run 


MAKE-READY 


77 


the  black  form  first ;  or,  if  the  rules  surround  every  page  of 
type,  run  the  rules  first.  But  we  assume  that  this  form  con¬ 
tains  only  initial  letters,  a  few  brass  rules,  etc.  After  the 
black  is  made  ready,  we  examine  our  press  to  discover  any 
fault  in  register.  First,  the  guide  tongues  must  be  only 
1-32"  off  the  packing  when  the  cylinder  is  all  the  way  up. 
Then  see  if  the  board  can  be  moved  sidewise.  Put  a  wedge 
in  between  board  and  frame  if  it  has  any  play,  as  the  feeder 
may  lean  against  same  for  one  hundred  impressions  and 
the  next  hundred  he  may  not,  allowing  board  to  move  back. 
So  be  careful  that  board  can  not  move  sideways.  Now  put 
sheet  in  with  impression  on  and  reset  the  cylinder  bands,  so 
that  they  merely  touch  the  sheet.  Then  turn  press  ahead, 
until  the  center  gutter  is  parallel  with  the  cylinder  and 
directly  under  the  printing  surface.  Open  the  gripper  tum¬ 
bler  and  allow  sheet  to  lay  flat  on  form,  and  in  this  manner 
you  can  test  the  contact  between  brush  and  cylinder.  But 
the  cylinder  must  be  down  on  the  bearers  and  the  gutter 
of  form  astride  the  printing  surface  of  cylinder;  this  is  the 
most  accurate  way  of  setting  brush. 

The  brush  should  only  cause  the  sheet  to  hug  the  cylin¬ 
der,  not  so  tightly  as  to  cause  it  to  pull  the  sheet  from 
grippers.  If  your  press  has  not  a  brush  attached,  use  a  tape 
or  two,  which  will  act  in  the  same  way.  Tie  the  tape  to  the 
band  rod,  in  direct  line  with  the  open  gutters,  then  under¬ 
neath  cylinder  and  on  out  to  the  top  edge  of  feed  board. 
Here  place  a  staple  and  run  the  tape  through,  tying  a 
weight  or  wrench  on  the  end  of  tape.  You  can  run  two  or 
three  tapes  around  cylinder,  according  to  the  number  of 
gutters  to  place  same.  They  must  travel  in  gutters.  The 
principle  of  the  weight  is  this:  if  the  tape  should  wear,  it  will 
wear  just  at  the  spot  where  the  gripper  edge  of  cylinder 


CYLINDER  PRESS 


78 

strikes  it  on  the  down  stroke;  and  consequently,  when  it 
breaks  here,  it  is  apt  to  fall  directly  on  form,  smashing  same. 
So,  by  having  the  staple,  allowing  the  tape  to  slide  to  and 
fro,  the  weight  on  end  gives  it  an  even  contact  on  sheet, 
causing  it  to  hug  cylinder;  and  when  it  breaks,  the  weight 
will  drop  out  beyond  the  bed,  pulling  the  broken  or  torn 
tape  to  the  floor,  saving  a  bad  smash.  The  use  of  rubber 
bands  is  very  bad. 

When  you  use  tapes  on  a  two-color  job,  be  sure  to  use 
them  on  both  forms. 

After  the  black  is  printed,  re-pack  the  press  the  same  as 
for  the  black,  possibly  a  sheet  of  its  own  less,  owing  to  an 
open  form.  Be  sure  the  packing  is  correct.  Now  lay  the 
form  same  as  any  form,  or  as  previously  taught,  and  having 
the  red  on,  pull  an  impression.  The  press  should  register 
as  you  went  over  it  when  the  black  was  on,  same  tapes,  etc. 
Before  you  start  to  register,  be  sure  the  guides  are  exactly 
square  before  you  make  a  move;  for  if  you  intend  to  use  the 
slitter  on  press,  it  will  not  cut  the  sheet  square  if  one  end 
of  the  sheet  is  faster,  or  ahead  of  the  other  end.  Now  pro¬ 
ceed  to  register  in,  make  the  big  moves  first,  and  don’t 
attempt  to  get  the  ones  that  are  out  only  a  pica  or  so,  in 
register  the  very  first  time.  By  moving  a  pica  and  a  card, 
you  lose  time.  Make  the  big  moves  first  and  then  every 
time  you  unlock  the  form  don’t  fail  to  make  chalk  marks 
across  the  quoins.  This  will  enable  you  to  lock  up  nearly 
the  same  again.  After  you  are  almost  through,  ink  up  for 
make-ready,  because  there  is  always  a  point  here  and  there 
you  must  change  just  before  you  start  to  run.  Don’t^run 
all  four  form  rollers  on  a  few  initials  or  small  ornaments. 
Two  form  rollers  are  sufficient. 

Changing  Time  of  Cylinder.  There  are  cases  where 


MAKE-READY 


79 

it  is  necessary  to  have  more  space  behind  the  headline,  so 
we  change  the  time  of  the  cylinder.  The  later  makes  of 
Miehle  presses  are  very  easily  changed  by  withdrawing 
three  bolts  from  large  gear  drive  on  gear  side  of  cylinder. 
Then  jerk  the  flywheel  to  move  the  press  ahead  and  place 
bolts  into  the  second  or  third  hole.  You  can  not  go  wrong 
on  these  presses.  This  changes  the  spaces,  or  rather  ex¬ 
tends  the  head-line  to  the  extent  of  about  ^  of  an  inch  for 
each  hole.  But  on  other  styles  of  presses  it  is  necessary  to 
change  the  intermediate  gear,  throwing  it  ahead  one  or 
more  teeth.  This  can  be  done  by  removing  two  screws 
holding  cap  on  intermediate  gear,  then  mark  two  teeth  on 
small  gear  and  the  tooth  on  the  other  gear  that  rests  in 
between.  Pull  gear  out  of  mesh  and  turn  press  ahead, 
using  flywheel.  Just  turn  ahead  one  tooth.  Push  interme¬ 
diate  gear  in  mesh  and  replace  cap.  The  writer  recalls  a 
press  where  it  was  necessary  to  run  a  certain  size  form  on 
this  particular  press  monthly,  and  it  was  a  trifle  large — 
or,  in  other  words,  the  cylinder  was  still  on  the  last  lines 
of  the  form  just  as  the  bed  was  reversing — and  consequently 
before  the  run  was  off,  the  back  edge  of  the  form  was 
nearly  always  worn  out.  So  we  changed  the  time  of  the 
cylinder  and  eliminated  this  evil.  But  great  care  must  always 
be  used  when  moving,  not  to  move  back  instead  of  for¬ 
ward,  especially  if  form  is  near  the  head  line. 

Springing  the  Grippers.  When  you  either  change  the 
time  of  cylinder  or  have  a  form  that  fills  the  entire  bed,  and 
very  close  and  snug  up  to  the  head  line,  there  is  no  cause 
for  worry.  Simply  remove  the  shoofly  fingers  and  turn  the 
press  by  hand  till  the  grippers  close,  then  take  pin  wrench 
or  screw  driver  and  open  up  the  gripper  tumbler  and  back 
the  press  by  hand.  There  the  grippers  are  open;  put  trip  on 


8o 


CYLINDER  PRESS 


and  print  on  the  packing,  but  before  gripper  tumbler  closes, 
or  hits  the  opening  pin,  close  them  by  hand  same  as  you  did 
when  opening  them,  and  look  all  along  the  line  to  see  if  the 
entire  form  clears  all  the  grippers.  This  is  the  safe  way. 
How  satisfying  it  is  to  know  these  various  stunts,  and  how 
much  more  efficient  you  are  if  you  practice  them! 

Make-ready  of  Square  Half-tones  and  Type.  The 
packing  for  half-tones  should  be  very  hard. 

1.  Put  on  a  bottom  draw  sheet  of  manila;  reel  it  in. 

2.  Take  six  sheets  of  preferably  wood-cut  enamel, 
basis,  25  x  38 — 70,  three  sheets  of  its  own  stock, 
meaning  the  stock  you  intend  to  print  on,  unless  it 
be  card  board ;  then  the  top  draw  sheet  of  manila. 

Now  the  packing  is  complete. 

3.  Turn  the  press  over  so  the  bed  is  in  the  rear,  or 
in  other  words,  the  gripper  edge  of  cylinder,  with 
grippers  open,  is  flush  with  the  stripper  fingers. 

4.  Take  a  rag;  wipe  off  the  bed  carefully. 

5.  Get  the  form  from  the  form  rack.  Take  off  all 
paper  from  the  back  of  cuts  and  wipe  off  the  back 
of  form  so  it  is  free  of  particles  of  metal  and  dirt. 
Notice  which  is  the  gripper  edge,  and  lay  the  form 
on  the  bed. 

6.  Measure  half  the  center  margin,  where  center 
chase  bar  runs  parallel  with  the  cylinder.  This 
measurement  should  be  the  distance  from  gripper 
edge  of  type  to  edge  of  sheet,  allowing  the  sheet  to 
extend  two  picas  beyond  the  headline,  on  bed  of 
press.  This  determines  the  position  of  the  form  on 
the  bed  of  the  press  with  respect  to  the  headline. 

This  is  called  the  gripper  hold. 

Take  center  of  form  endwise  to  get  the  proper 


MAKE-READY 


81 


position  on  sheet  from  the  bottom  of  pages.  If  the 
form  is  a  small  one,  get  the  position  of  guides  first, 
then  move  the  form  endwise  between  bed  bearers, 
to  conform  with  the  guides,  having  previously 
placed  furniture  between  form  and  ink  table. 

7.  Proceed  to  lock  on  press.  Loosen  all  the  quoins 
so  that  each  pair  is  identically  the  same.  Loosen 
all  side  quoins.  Then  turn  up  bed  clamps,  with 
furniture  between  clamps  and  chase  extending 
beyond  the  bed  two  or  three  picas. 

8.  If  there  are  any  new  cuts  or  half-tones  in  the 
form,  they  should  be  measured  with  a  type-high 
gauge  to  discover  if  they  are  more  than  type-high. 
If  they  are,  and  you  take  an  impression,  this  will 
necessitate  the  putting  on  of  a  new  packing,  owing 
to  the  indentation  which  would  be  made  by  these 
high  cuts.  Such  high  cuts  must  be  planed  down  to 
type-high. 

9.  Proceed  to  lock  up  form,  starting  at  the  corners 
working  both  ways,  squeezing  form  towards  the 
crossbars  of  chase.  Turn  the  quoins  up  just  snug; 
plane  down  carefully,  lifting  the  planer  on  all  half¬ 
tones.  Then  finish  locking  up,  not  too  tight,  but 
snug. 

10.  Now  ink  up  press  with  half-tone  ink.  Pull  an 
impression  on  the  stock,  measure  it  up  carefully 
for  position,  according  to  make-up,  disregarding 
the  size  of  sheet  for  the  present.  Then  notice  the 
impression,  especially  the  type.  Do  this  on  the 
first  sheet.  If  there  is  too  much  impression,  open 
up  the  packing  and  tear  out  one  or  two  of  the  loose 
hangers  (wood-cuts)  but  never  remove  the  three 


82 


CYLINDER  PRESS 


sheets  of  its  own,  as  we  figure  three  make-ready 
sheets  to  a  form.  Reel  up  packing;  pull  another 
impression.  Presumably  the  impression  is  now 
O.K.  Some  of  the  half-tones  may  be  a  sheet  low, 
some  one  side  low. 

11.  Wash  off  form.  Unlock  one  section  at  a  time 
and  remove  the  cuts  that  need  underlaying.  Test 
them  to  discover  if  they  rock.  If  they  do,  remedy 
the  same  by  putting  small  pieces  of  paper  under 
the  low  corners,  in  most  cases  diagonally  across  the 
back  of  cut.  Then  measure  with  type-high  guage. 
Put  the  proper  thickness  of  paper  on  bottom,  and 
only  paste  the  two  opposite  edges  on  bottom  of  cut. 
Never  put  paste  over  the  entire  surface  on  bottom 
of  the  same.  Treat  each  section  of  form  the  same, 
assuring  yourself  that  no  cut  rocks,  and  underlay¬ 
ing,  using  type-high  gauge  and  sizing  up  the  first 
impression,  using  this  as  a  guide.  Be  careful  to 
return  each  cut  to  its  original  position.  It  will  be 
of  great  assistance  if  each  cut  is  marked  with  a  pen¬ 
cil  on  the  end  of  the  block  facing  feeder  side  of  press 
when  it  is  removed. 

12.  Lock  up  form  carefully,  and  plane  down  as  in 
beginning.  Pull  another  impression,  backing  up 
the  same  to  ascertain  if  form  is  square  and  all  pages 
back  up  square.  Do  this  by  using  a  pin  opposite 
the  side  guide,  then  turning  sheet  over  and  feeding 
to  pin.  The  side  guide  is  supposed  to  be  accurate 
according  to  make-up.  If  there  is  any  variation  in 
back-up,  move  the  pin,  printing  on  two  sheets  to 
keep  the  packing  clean.  Now  submit  a  sheet  for 
position  O.K. 


MAKE-READY 


83 


Never  submit  a  sheet  for  position  O.K.  without 
first  marking  the  guide  edges,  and  never  submit 
a  sheet  for  position  O.K.  before  you  complete  under¬ 
laying  the  cuts.  You  may  by  mistake  turn  a  cut 
around  or  “pi”  a  couple  lines  of  type,  and  the 
O.K.  man  would  see  if  correct. 

13.  When  sheet  is  returned  O.K.,  pull  an  impres¬ 

sion  with  ink  a  mere  trifle  lighter  than  you  would 
run  the  job.  Mark  the  four  sections  or  more  if  need 
be,  “one  F,”  “two  F,”  “one”  and  “two.”  (See 
diagram.)  Proceed  to  mark  out  all  type  from  back, 
zinc  etchings,  if  there  are  any,  from  back.  The 
half-tones  must  be  marked  out  from  the  face  using 
carbon  paper  face  up  against  the  back  of  sheet  to 
repeat  the  marks  on  the  face.  In  marking  out,  use 
standard  marks,  as  printed  in  forepart  of  this  book. 
Mark  out  the  half-tones  with  great  care.  Make  the 
large  patches  first,  taking  in  as  much  of  the  weak 
spots,  or  broken  screen,  as  you  can;  then  the 
smaller  ones  inside.  Use  very  few  patches  on  the 
high  lights,  just  enough  to  make  them  print  clean 
and  clear,  and  not  cause  any  wear.  All  that  you 
intend  to  do  is  to  even  up  the  impression,  by 
building  up  with  tissue.  After  sheets  are  all 
patched,  being  careful  not  to  use  too  much  paste, 
if  you  have  any  overlays,  whether  mechanical^or 
hand  cut,  they  can  be  attached  to  this  sheet^in 
perfect  register.  ^ 

14.  Now  print  on  the  packing,  or  top  sheet, ^one 
impression.  Punch  twice  for  each  section  you 
have  with  a  needle,  cutting  punch  marks  on  make- 
ready  sheet,  the  exact  corners  where  you  punched 


84 


CYLINDER  PRESS 


to  enable  you  to  match  them  on  readily.  Wash  off 
packing  with  benzine  and  rag;  open  the  packing, 
but  not  the  bottom  draw.  Paste  make-ready 
sheets,  along  the  gripper  edge  only,  and  matching 
them  on  one  at  a  time,  be  careful  to  get  them  on 
very  accurately,  or  the  overlays  will  show  a  black 
streak  in  the  high  lights  and  cause  wear. 

15.  After  sheets  are  all  matched  on,  remove  one  of 
the  blank  sheets.  You  still  have  two  blank  sheets 
in  packing.  Reel  in  the  top  sheet  and  pull  another 
impression;  proceed  to  mark  out  the  type  from  the 
back,  the  weak  spots  on  the  cuts  on  the  face. 
Patch  up  bad  letters  on  this  second  sheet.  After 
all  is  patched  up,  open  up  packing,  match  this 
second  make-ready  sheet  on  to  the  first  make-ready 
sheet.  Remove  another  blank  sheet  from  packing. 
Reel  in  the  top  sheet.  Pull  another  impression.  If 
there  are  only  a  few  patches  to  be  placed  to  com¬ 
plete  the  make-ready,  open  up  and  paste  these  on 
the  printed  sheet  you  just  put  on.  Paste  this  other 
blank  sheet  in  on  gripper  edge  only.  Never  start 
to  run  without  pasting  this  sheet.  Reel  in  top 
sheet,  and  the  make-ready  is  complete.  Put  a  tack 
in  form  near  where  the  side  guide  comes  on  sheet 
so  that  it  prints  faintly  on  extreme  edge  of  sheet. 

16.  Put  ink  in  fountain;  set  it  carefully.  Start  in 
center,  working  both  ways  with  the  thumb  screws. 
Run  about  five  or  six  nicks  on  fountain,  so  if  it 
becomes  necessary  to  add  a  nick  or  take  one  off,  it 
doesn’t  make  such  a  vast  difference. 

This  method  applies  to  all  half-tone  make-readies 
except  for  vignettes  and  process  color  printing. 


MAKE-READY  85 

Scratches  on  Cuts.  If  a  scratch  be  in  a  solid  or  dark 
portion  of  a  cut,  this  can  be  removed  by  the  pressman,  by 
wetting  the  part,  and  rubbing  carefully  with  scotch-stone, 
or  better  still,  with  charcoal,  which  will  not  cut  so  rapidly. 
Never  do  this  on  a  highlight  or  middle  tone.  If  the  scratch 
be  in  a  highlight,  or  middl  etone,  the  engraver  will  have  to 
repair  same,  by  “picking  up”  the  broken  down  dots  with 
proper  tools. 

What  is  Type-high?  Careful  tests  prove  that,  from 
one  cause  or  another,  considerable  divergence  exists  in  the 
height  of  half-tones  and  electrotypes.  All  are  supposed  to  be 
sent  out  exactly  “type-high.”  This  is  a  very  elastic  term. 
If  it  fits  the  varying  heights  one  meets  with,  inquiry  seems 
to  show  that  there  is  some  uncertainty  as  to  what  is  type- 
high.  Therefore  all  those  engaged  in  supplying  blocks  and 
kindred  supplies  to  the  printer  should  remember  that  type- 
high  is  .918”.  This  is  obtained  from  the  standard  agreed 
upon  between  the  Associated  Type  Founders.  Every  press¬ 
man  should  own  and  use  a  standard  type-high  gauge. 

Slur  in  Printing.  Not  only  does  faulty  make-ready 
too  often  cause  loss  of  register,  but  it  is  quite  as  frequently 
the  source  of  slur.  We  enumerate  some  of  the  causes  of 
slur: 

Loose,  springy,  and  poorly  underlaid  plates. 

Too  much  make-ready  under  plate  or  on  cylinder;  in 
other  words,  over-packing  the  cylinder. 

Make-ready  too  high  above  bearers. 

Failure  to  reduce  packing  for  very  thick  stock. 

Last  roller  not  in  contact  with  vibrator. 

Cylinder  not  hard  enough  on  bearers. 

Bands  not  tight  enough  to  cylinder. 

Form  locked  too  tightly  with  bed  clamps,  causing  spring. 


86 


CYLINDER  PRESS 


Form  locked  with  imperfect  furniture  or  quoins,  causing 
spring. 

Feed  tongues  too  high  above  packing.  This  will  some¬ 
times  cause  sheet  to  buckle. 

Poor  justification  and  make-up. 

Badly  sprung  chases. 

Too  much  paste  on  overlays,  or  overlays  slovenly  attach¬ 
ed  to  gripper  edge  of  packing,  or  carelessly  cut  and  at¬ 
tached  underlays. 

Loose  or  buckled  tympan  sheet,  or  spongy,  springy 
packing. 

Loose  register  rack  or  segment. 

Form  too  large  for  press,  or  set  too  near  front  edge  of 
bed,  thus  printing  after  bed  has  commenced  to  stop. 

Knowing  the  cause,  one  should  easily  overcome  the 
trouble. 

Examine  your  own  work  first,  then  the  compositor’s 
work.  Then  examine  the  press. 

Some  forms  give  trouble  because  spaces  and  quads,  leads 
and  so  forth  work  up.  Look  for  a  cut  that  is  warped  or 
improperly  underlaid.  Such  a  cut  will  rock  up  and  down 
as  it  passes  under  the  impression.  This  action  lifts  the 
surrounding  matter  which  the  cylinder  forces  down.  A 
“pumping”  is  thus  established,  during  which  quads,  etc., 
are  forced  to  the  surface,  become  inked  and  mar  the  work. 
Correcting  the  cut  until  it  lies  upon  the  bed  is  usually  the 
remedy. 

Wrinkles.  If  there  is  a  border  or  rule  around  the  job 
or  cut  or  a  page  with  an  open  center,  unevenness  in  making 
ready  not  only  makes  register  impossible,  but  it  produces 
a  disfiguring  wrinkle  on  the  edge  of  the  sheet  farthest  from 
the  grippers.  The  only  remedy  is  proper  make-ready.  This 


MAKE-READY 


8; 

defect  is  very  noticeable  on  map  work.  To  prevent  the 
wrinkle  or  buckle,  see  that  the  plates  are  absolutely  type- 
high  and  so  nearly  uniform  that  a  thin  overlay  is  all  that 
is  necessary. 

Slip-sheeting  Methods.  The  best  half-tone  jobs  re¬ 
quire  slip-sheeting  or  the  use  of  a  gas-flame  attachment. 
Otherwise  we  have  an  inferior  job  due  to  offset.  Use  the 
gas  flame  on  the  end  of  delivery  and  have  L-shaped  tins 
surround  the  entire  sheet.  Place  250  or  300  sheets  only  to  a 
rack.  This  procedure  should  do  away  with  all  offset. 

If  it  is  necessary  to  slip-sheet,  run  one  entire  day  with 
slip-sheets.  Then  the  next  day  rig  up  an  extra  stand  in 
addition  to  the  one  you  have  for  slip-sheets,  and  have 
another  girl  or  boy  remove  the  printed  sheet  as  the  other 
slip-sheet  is  put  in  again.  This  is  a  wonderful  time-saver, 
as  the  press  keeps  them  going,  and  the  main  reason  is  that 
the  pressman  has  full  charge  of  these  sheets  and  he  can  see 
that  they  are  handled  with  care.  Otherwise,  it  becomes 
necessary  to  have  several  people  taking  slip-sheets  out.  Be¬ 
tween  telling  stories,  and  various  other  things,  they  may 
remove  or  handle  about  5000  sheets,  where  at  the  press 
one  will  be  compelled  to  remove  at  least  9,000  or  10,000, 
according  to  the  speed  of  the  press. 

All  doubletone  inks  must  be  slip-sheeted  on  account  of 
the  stain  and  slow-drying  qualities.  Never  use  the  gas 
flame  for  doubletone  ink. 

Straddle  a  Cut  with  the  Grippers.  If  a  form  comes  to 
press  with  a  very  narrow  margin,  and  you  have  a  half-tone 
or  two  extending  beyond  the  type,  you  can  straddle  the 
cut,  by  spreading  the  grippers  apart  and  seeing  to  it  that 
the  cut  will  come  directly  in  between.  Turn  press  around 
with  cylinder  up  off  impression  and  grippers  down  near  the 


88  CYLINDER  PRESS 

head  line — then  you  can  see  if  all  grippers  clear  the  cuts. 
Make-ready  Two-color  Electrotypes. 

1.  Pack  the  press  and  lay  the  form  same  as  you 
do  a  half-tone  form,  and  figure  on  three  sheets  for 
marking  out,  and  be  sure  they  are  included  in  the 
packing.  The  electrotypes  must  all  be  measured  for 
type-high,  and  also  tested  for  rocking. 

2.  Proceed  to  make  ready  and  put  make-ready  on 
cylinder  same  as  previously  done. 

3.  To  save  a  lot  of  valuable  time  in  registering  in 
the  color,  don’t  have  the  color  mounted,  but  lock 
up  the  blocks,  the  same  time  you  do  the  black, 
and  have  them  the  same  size,  and  the  same  space 
around,  also  at  least  a  nonpareil  on  the  four  sides. 

4-  As  soon  as  the  black  is  lined  up  and  ready  to 
run,  print  on  a  sheet,  then  lay  it  into  the  guides 
again,  a  clean  sheet  on  top.  Print  on  this.  This 
gives  you  an  offset. 

5.  Take  this  offset  and  put  the  entire  sheet  upon 
the  form  of  blocks  you  have  locked  up  for  the  red. 

Nail  the  red  plates  on  according  to  the  position 
of  the  black  offset  sheet.  When  all  are  nailed,  cut 
with  a  knife  around  each  cut  and  remove  the  over¬ 
hanging  paper.  This  thin  sheet  will  make  little 
difference  in  increased  impression. 

Depth  of  Half-tones.  Half-tones  are  etched  by  en¬ 
gravers  to  varying  depths,  say,  from  two  one-thousandths 
to  three  or  four  one-thousandths  of  an  inch  deep.  This 
depth  can  be  measured  with  a  half-tone  meter,  made  by 
Howard  Spencer  Levy,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Repairing  Electrotypes.  To  bring  a  low  letter,  char¬ 
acter  or  spot  back  up  to  type-high,  remove  the  plate  from 


MAKE-READY 


89 

block.  Then,  by  using  a  caliper,  locate  the  exact  spot  on 
back  of  metal  plate.  Now,  with  the  aid  of  a  punch  and 
hammer,  tap  this  spot — which  will  cause  it  to  become 
type-high.  Have  the  plate  lying  on  bed  of  press,  or  other 
flat  surface,  with  piece  of  paper,  say  folio,  between. 

.  To  Replace  Bad  Letter.  After  removing  plate  from 
block,  drill  a  hole  in  open  space  near  bad  letter.  Now,  with 
the  aid  of  a  jeweller’s  saw  (which  is  very  small)  saw  an  open 
space.  If  the  size  of  type  is  small,  it  sometimes  is  necessary 
to  take  two  characters  out.  Now  procure  the  desired  letter 
or  characters,  and,  with  the  aid  of  small  spaces,  place  the 
letters  in  this  opening  and  in  line ;  wedge  them  in  this  posi¬ 
tion.  Now  have  a  soldering  iron  very  hot;  then  take  muri¬ 
atic  acid  (which  has  zinc  dissolved  therein),  put  a  few  drops 
on  back.  This  causes  the  metals  to  adhere.  Now  with  your 
hot  soldering  iron,  simply  melt  off  the  projecting  type  body 
to  a  level  with  base. 

Split  Packing.  When  we  have  a  large  machine,  to 
better  enable  us  to  get  on  a  packing  smooth  and  neat,  we 
put  the  loose  hangers  on  in  two  sections,  so  the  split  or 
open  crease  will  come  directly  in  a  gutter  on  the  form.  This 
is  necessary  on  all  large  machines.  The  same  paper  and 
amount  are  used  as  if  put  on  in  one  piece. 

Testing  a  Half-tone  Make-ready.  To  know  when  a 
half-tone  has  been  properly  made  ready  is  one  of  the  first 
points  of  presswork.  Comparatively  few  pressmen,  it  would 
appear,  are  able  to  determine  accurately  whether  the  half¬ 
tone  they  have  prepared  for  printing  will  stand  up  during 
the  entire  run,  and  high-lights  print  clear  and  clean.  So 
important  in  fact  does  the  writer  consider  this  feature,  that 
he  believes  that  if  the  pressman  learns  nothing  more  from 
reading  this  book,  it  will  have  been  time  profitably  spent. 


9o 


CYLINDER  PRESS 


This  method  is  also  one  of  the  most  valuable  assets  for 
the  proper  handling  of  process  printing  and  is  valuable  for 
the  things  it  will  reveal.  A  superintendent  or  foreman 
formerly  had  to  take  the  pressman’s  word  for  it  as  to  how 
a  form  was  made  ready.  But  those  days  are  past,  and  now 
an  executive  can  say,  “  I  shall  see  when  it  is  ready  to  run.” 

After  a  form  of  half-tones  is  made  ready  to  run,  and  a 
sheet  is  submitted  for  final  O.K.,  if  there  is  any  doubt  about 
the  make-ready,  or  if  you  want  to  test  it  out,  have  the 
pressman  print  one  impression  on  a  good  grade  of  news¬ 
print  paper,  on  top  of  the  sheet  you  made  ready  for,  and 
intend  to  run  the  job  on.  Notice  the  highlights  or  white 
portions  on  this  news  stock.  See  if  they  are  muddy  or 
cloudy  in  spots.  If  they  are,  too  much  impression  exists 
there.  If  they  print  clear,  clean  and  white,  all  is  O.K. ;  if 


This  drawing  shows  an  enlarged  cross  section  of  a  half-tone, 
150-line  screen. 

Section  A  shows  the  small  shallow  dots  occuring  in  dark  or 
solid  portions. 

Section  B  shows  width  and  depth  of  dots  in  middle  tones. 
Section  C  shows  highlight  dots. 


MAKE-READY 


91 


they  appear  broken,  give  it  the  additional  impression.  This 
will  never  fail  you.  Just  for  a  moment,  think  how  valuable 
it  is  for  process  printing,  with  the  imposing  of  one  color 
upon  another.  If  one  or  two  of  them  have  too  much  pres¬ 
sure  in  the  highlights,  an  inferior  print  is  the  result,  as  the 
highlights  either  make  or  spoil  the  print.  The  pressman  can 
test  after  he  has  completed  the  underlaying  or  after  his  first 
sheet,  or  overlay  is  on. 

Cardboard  Printing.  Printing  on  cardboard,  especial¬ 
ly  register  work,  is  difficult  for  some  pressmen.  First,  they 
forget  to  reduce  the  packing  to  allow  for  such  a  heavy  board. 
Second,  if  the  board  is  not  cut  square,  which  is  very  often 
the  case,  the  side  guide  is  moved,  causing  no  end  of  trouble. 
When  you  get  position  to  run  cardboard,  have  some  of  the 
kind  of  sheets  (presumably  the  70-lb.  wood-cut)  you  packed 
the  press  with,  cut  to  the  size  of  cards  to  be  run.  Pull  your 
try  sheets  and  make-ready  sheets  by  laying  one  of  these  on 
top  of  a  cardboard  every  time  you  take  an  impression. 
When  getting  position,  lower  the  bottom  guide  farthest  from 
the  side  guide  two  leads,  and  if  necessary  put  two  leads  in 
back  of  chase,  to  square  up  form.  This  will  cause  the  sheet 
to  gradually  walk  away  from  side  guides  as  it  passes.  Mark 
out  your  make-ready  on  thin  sheets,  using  the  same  card¬ 
board  every  time.  After  the  last  mark-out  sheet,  don’t  take 
any  out,  as  this  makes  your  packing  correct. 

Delivering  Cardboard  on  a  Cylinder.  It  keeps  a 
pressman  busy,  emptying  the  jogger  board.  A  good  method 
is  to  turn  two  or  three  fly  sticks  out,  so  when  delivery  is  all 
the  way  to  the  end  of  delivery  board  these  sticks  are  beyond 
the  delivery  board  the  full  length.  Now  raise  them  so  one 
card  coming  out  on  sticks  will  tend  to  shove  another  out, 
that  is  already  on  sticks,  to  the  farthest  end.  Now  have  a 


92  CYLINDER  PRESS 

truck  at  the  end  of  delivery.  With  a  few  boards,  make  a 
bottomless  box  the  size  of  the  cards,  and  place  on  the  truck, 
and,  as  each  sheet  comes  out,  have  a  boy  tip  the  end  down 
into  this  box.  As  the  box  fills  up,  stick  two  pica  reglets  into 
each  side  of  stock  for  the  box  to  rest  on,  and  continue  to 
raise  same,  until  truck  has  been  loaded.  This  saves  hand¬ 
ling,  which  is  so  awkward. 

Vignette  Half-tones.  The  proper  make-ready  of  vig¬ 
nette  half-tones  seems  perplexing  to  many,  but  if  they  will 
adopt  the  proper  procedure  it  is  not  difficult. 

1.  The  packing  should  be  a  hard  one,  including  a 
bottom  draw  sheet  of  manila,  reeled  in  carefully, 
leaving  no  wrinkles,  then  about  five  sheets  of 
enamel,  basis  25  x  38-70,  then  about  three  sheets 
of  its  own  stock  and  a  top  draw  sheet.  This  must 
be  a  good,  smooth,  hard  packing. 

2.  Lay  the  form  and  get  the  correct  position. 

3.  Proceed  with  the  underlaying,  making  all  cuts 
at  least  one  sheet  below  type-high.  Try  to  start 
without  any  of  the  vignette  edge  printing;  then 
you  can  rest  assured  it  will  not  come  back  while 
running.  I  have  seen  many  a  job  start  off  O.K., 
but  after  running  awhile  the  packing  gets  soggy, 
due  to  too  much  patching  and  cutting.  Then  the 
vignette  edge  comes  back.  But  if  it  isn’t  there 
when  you  are  through  underlaying  and  innerlaying, 
it  cannot  come  up.  So  have  the  cuts  a  thin  sheet 
lower  than  type-high,  and  if  any  are  hollow  in  the 
center,  innerlay  them  with  folio.  Never  use  tissue 
for  innerlaying.  (See  Fig.  1,2).  Remount  on  same 
same  block  in  same  position.  Do  an  excellent  job 
underlaying  and  innerlaying. 


MAKE-READY 


93 


4.  Submit  a  sheet  for  position  O.K.  While  the 
proper  authority  is  going  over  the  sheet,  print 
another,  and  over  every  cut  that  has  a  vignette 
edge  paste  a  cardboard,  equal  to  a  post-card  ma- 
nila.  This  you  place  under  a  sheet  and  print  one, 
and  here  you  have  a  good  outline  of  every  edge, 
good  and  strong,  for  tracing  the  edges. 

5.  As  soon  as  all  is  O.K.,  proceed  to  mark  out.  Of 
course  it  is  understood  that  the  impression  and  all 
are  correct  before  you  do  this.  Print  your  sheet, 
cut  it  up  into  sections;  mark  each  section,  and 
mark  all  the  type  out  from  the  back  of  sheet. 

6.  Take  the  sheet  which  was  printed  very  heavy 
and  shows  the  edges  so  plainly,  and  cut  in  several 
places  to  enable  you  to  match  this  on  top  of  your 
mark-out  sheets.  When  it  has  been  exactly  located, 
slip  a  piece  of  carbon  paper  face  down  between 
the  two.  Be  careful  not  to  move  either  sheet.  Now 
trace  the  vignette  edge;  the  blue  carbon  paper  will 
show  you  the  extreme  edge.  Repeat  this  on  every 
cut  until  they  are  all  traced.  Save  these  same 
heavy  sheets,  for  each  additional  sheet  you  mark 
out.  Now  proceed  to  mark  out  the  half-tone  to 
even  up  the  impression,  and  draw  your  first  line 
one  nonpariel  inside  the  blue  carbon  line  along  the 
vignette  edge,  being  careful  to  get  all  the  little 
curves,  etc.  that  the  edge  contains.  For  each  tissue 
the  entire  cut  takes,  keep  in  an  additional  nonpa¬ 
riel,  each  time  representing  a  step;  and  after  it  is 
all  patched  up,  cut  in  two  leads  from  the  blue  line 
and  cut  the  line  entirely  out.  Repeat  this  on  all 
three  mark-out  sheets  unless  the  edges  do  not  show 


94 


CYLINDER  PRESS 


at  all  (when  there  will  be  no  need  to  cut  it  off), 
but  trace  it  in  case  you  might  want  to  make  a 
change  after  it  is  on  the  press.  Before  tracing  edge 
with  carbon,  mark  places  where  the  vignette  edge 
prints  faintly  and  cut  this  off  after  all  is  patched. 

After  all  is  made  ready  if  the  extreme  edges  print 
faintly  in  spots,  this  can  be  removed  with  the  aid  of  a  vig¬ 
nette  punch,  which  has  the  dots  on  end  of  steel  punch,  or 
with  a  small  chisel,  called  a  liner,  which  has  grooves;  the 
number  of  grooves  or  lines  to  the  inch  should  correspond  to 
the  fineness  of  the  screen,  100,  120,  133,  150  lines,  etc.,  to 
the  inch. 

The  illustrations  on  the  next  four  pages  show  progressive 
steps  in  the  make-ready  of  a  vignetted  half-tone. 

Figure  1.  Showing  the  first  impression  of  a  vignetted 
half-tone,  which  requires  an  innerlay,  between  block  and 
the  metal,  to  bring  it  up  to  printing  surface. 

Figure  2.  Showing  the  proper  way  to  mark  out  an 
innerlay,  to  be  patched  with  folio  on  the  back  of  the  print. 
The  dotted  line  shows  the  amount  to  be  cut  entirely  off 
from  print  before  pasting  on  the  back  of  the  metal. 

Figure  3.  Showing  print  after  innerlaying  is  finished, 
and  overlay  is  on.  The  make-ready  is  to  be  finished  with  a 
tissue  overlay.  Notice  how  the  patch  marks  represent  steps, 
thus  causing  the  vignetted  edges  to  gradually  fade  away. 
If  the  edge  prints  faintly  in  spots,  cut  away  the  edge  of  the 
overlay  to  the  extent  of  four  points. 

Figure  4.  Showing  the  complete  and  proper  make- 
eady  of  vignetted  half-tone. 


FIGURE  1 


FIGURE  2 


FIGURE  3 


4 


PLATE  PROCESS  PRINTING 


PROCESS  COLOR  WORK 


THE  first  requisite  for  the  production  of  color  printing 
consists  of  the  original  plates,  the  preparation  of  which 
is  explained  under  Half-Tones, 

Where  only  one  or  two  subjects  are  concerned,  and  a 
limited  quantity  of  a  few  thousand  prints  is  required,  it  is 
customary  to  print  from  the  original  plates,  after  suitable 
make-ready. 

Standards  have  been  adopted  by  printers  for  the  thick¬ 
ness  of  printing  plates  employed  in  color  printing. 

An  original  half-tone  engraved  upon  thin  metal  must 
be  increased  in  thickness  or  “backed”  to  conform  with  a 
standard  thickness.  The  plates  ordered  for  patent  bases 
are  eleven  points  high,  or  .152  of  an  inch. 

The  patent  base  or  block  referred  to  is  a  device  invented 
for  the  purpose  of  holding  the  printing  plate  securely  while 
it  is  in  the  printing  press.  It  must  be  obvious  that  in 
multicolor  printing  (where  two  or  more  plates  are  required 
to  print  in  different  colors  in  absolute  register  on  the  same 
sheet  of  paper)  the  mere  holding  of  a  plate  will  not  fulfill 
all  requirements.  A  plate  must  be  moved  at  times  the 
smallest  fraction  of  an  inch  in  order  to  effect  register  with  a 
color  previously  printed.  The  clamps  holding  the  plate  are 
provided  with  a  gear  enabling  the  pressman,  with  the  aid  of 
a  specially  constructed  key,  to  move  the  plate  at  will  in 
any  direction. 


96 


CYLINDER  PRESS 


For  some  time  it  was  customary  to  nail  process  printing 
plates  upon  a  wooden  block,  planed  to  the  proper  thickness. 
While  this  practice  still  continues  in  isolated  cases,  it  has 
been  found  that  a  metal  base  is  much  to  be  preferred  for 
the  printing  of  large  editions.  Its  rigidity  insures  uniform 
impression  from  the  first  to  the  last  sheets.  It  will  not 
shrink,  expand  or  vary  in  changes  of  atmosphere,  and 
finally,  it  furnishes  a  means  of  firmly  grasping  and  holding 
the  printing  plate  throughout  the  entire  run. 

There  are  a  number  of  bases  on  the  market — sectional 
base,  which  the  stone  man  makes  up  in  sections  to  the 
required  size  for  each  plate,  and  other  bases  in  large  sec¬ 
tions,  with  which  you  can  cover  the  entire  bed  of  press  and 
place  plates  at  any  angle  if  need  be.  These  bases  are  all 
standard  height  so  that,  when  plates  are  fastened  to  the 
base,  the  printing  surface  is  type-high. 

Laying  Form.  The  form  or  base,  having  been  placed 
upon  the  bed  of  the  press,  is  then  fastened  by  the  use  of 
clamps  with  which  the  press  is  provided. 

The  pressman  places  his  plates  on  the  base  as  nearly  in 
position  as  he  can  according  to  the  sheet  to  be  printed.  He 
must  bear  in  mind  the  proper  placing  of  plates.  If  it  is 
possible  to  do  so,  for  instance,  place  all  heavy  plates  in  a 
direct  line;  or,  in  other  words,  do  not  make  the  mistake  of 
running  a  plate  which  takes  very  little  red  in  direct  line 
with  one  that  requires  a  great  lot,  because  one  or  the  other 
will  have  to  be  sacrificed.  This  can  always  be  done  if  the 
prints  are  to  be  cut  up  separately.  Assume  that  individual 
plates  have  been  placed  in  position  so  that  each  will  print 
upon  the  proper  place  on  the  sheet,  square  and  with  correct 
margins,  etc. 

The  operation  known  as  “ innerlaying”  involves  the 


MAKE-READY 


97 

adjustments  of  variations  in  the  thickness  of  the  electro¬ 
type  by  measuring  with  a  type-high  gauge.  You  will  find 
plates  usually  take  about  two  thin  sheets  of  enamel  paper 
to  .make  them  exactly  type-high,  which  is  purposely  done 
to  enable  a  pressman  to  innerlay. 

After  all  plates  have  been  made  type-high  by  laying 
these  loose  sheets  (the  exact  size  of  plate)  underneath,  then 
see  that  all  plates  lie  perfectly  flat.  If  one  should  be  bent, 
straighten  it  by  striking  the  back  of  plate  against  the  edge 
of  stone  or  some  solid  ledge.  When  this  is  completed,  then 
we  dress  the  cylinder. 

Packing  the  Press  for  Plate  Make-ready. 

1.  Usually  two  loose  hangers,  of  manila  on  the 
bare  cylinder;  a  bottom  draw  sheet,  reeled  in  tight 
and  smooth,  without  wrinkles;  then,  say,  six  loose 
hangers  of  enamel,  70-lb.  basis.  These  must  be 
folded  over  to  paste  on  the  ledge  of  the  cylin¬ 
der,  and  be  clamped  in.  Put  one  sheet  of  newsprint 
over  them,  folded  in  the  same  way.  Add  one  top 
sheet,  pasted  in,  then  one  top  sheet  not  pasted,  but 
in  the  clamps.  Reel  both  of  these  in  on  the  same 
rod  good  and  tight,  and  keep  very  clean. 

2.  After  guides  are  placed,  as  explained  in  a  pre¬ 
vious  chapter,  in  good  position  to  feed,  etc.,  ink  up 
the  press  with  the  proper  ink.  If  it  is  the  yellow 
form,  add  some  blue  to  the  yellow,  to  make  a  light 
green,  as  one  can  not  make  ready  with  yellow,  and, 
by  using  the  light  green,  it  is  not  necessary  to 
wash  up  more  than  once  to  get  a  bright,  clean 
yellow. 

3.  Now  put  a  sheet  of  the  enamel  used  for  packing 
down  to  the  guides  (remember  you  packed  with 


98 


CYLINDER  PRESS 


this  paper,  also  innerlayed  with  the  same),  and 
one  sheet  of  the  proper  stock  on  top.  Print  an 
impression.  Mark  the  guides — that  is,  the  gripper 
edge  and  the  side  guide — before  you  remove  it  from 
the  press,  to  avoid  making  a  mistake.  Now  place 
a  sheet  of  the  stock  down  to  the  guides  and  on  top 
a  sheet  of  enamel  as  used  for  packing.  Pull  another 
impression.  With  this  sheet  proceed  to  mark  out 
for  an  innerlay  to  bring  up  the  low  spots.  This  is 
to  even  up,  or  make  up  for  the  varying  of  the 
thickness  in  the  electrotype.  Turn  these  over  to 
the  feeder  for  him  to  “spot  up’’ — or  patch  up,  as 
it  is  called — with  folio. 

4.  The  pressman  should  take  the  first  sheet 
printed  on  the  proper  paper,  and  measure  it  up  for 
position.  Mark  the  direction  each  plate  should  be 
moved,  to  secure  position  or  register. 

5.  As  the  feeder  finishes  patching  up  a  print,  he 
should  hand  this  to  the  pressman.  Remove  this 
plate,  register  on  the  innerlay,  exercising  great 
care  to  get  it  on  perfect,  having  the  printed  side 
out.  Remove  one  of  the  loose  innerlays  first  put 
in  to  make  plate  type  high,  as  it  is  replaced  by  one 
with  an  equal  thickness.  Move  this  plate  the  direc¬ 
tion  it  is  to  be  moved  for  position,  as  per  marks. 
Continue  this  until  the  whole  form  has  received 
its  first  innerlay,  and  the  first  moves  toward 
register  have  been  made. 

On  the  Wesel  Final  Base  one  complete  turn  of  the 
key  equals  two  leads,  one-half  turn  equals  one  lead, 
and  one-quarter  turn  equals  one  card.  This  will 
assist  you  to  secure  register  with  more  rapidity. 


MAKE-READY 


99 


When  you  loosen  hooks  of  any  kind  to  register  in 
a  set  of  plates,  make  a  practice  of  loosening  the 
hooks  facing  the  cylinder  and  the  feeder  side  of 
press.  Then  there  is  never  a  doubt  as  to  which 
ones  you  did  loosen,  and  you  can  readily  replace 
your  plates  in  the  same  order. 

In  registering  on  innerlays,  if  the  printing  sur¬ 
face  is  not  square,  or  does  not  extend  to  the  outer 
edges  of  the  plate,  just  register  the  printed  side  to 
the  plate,  by  cutting  one  or  two  distinctive  places, 
and  then  crease  the  outer  edges  of  two  corners 
(opposite  corners) ;  this  will  assist  you  to  register  it 
on  the  back  correctly,  according  to  these  creases. 
6.  Now  print  on  its  own  stock  again,  with  a  sheet 
of  enamel  underneath.  Mark  the  guide  edges. 
Then  print  one  impression  on  a  sheet  of  enamel 
with  the  same  sheet  of  its  own  stock  under,  same 
as  before.  Mark  out  the  innerlay  to  finish  evening 
up  the  surface,  and  have  the  feeder  patch  up.  Re¬ 
turn  to  the  other  sheet  and  mark  it  for  register. 
We  generally  draw  a  (caret  A)  pointing  the  direc¬ 
tion  the  plate  should  be  moved,  and  how  much. 
This  will  enable  another  to  read  your  marks. 

As  the  feeder  finishes  patching  up  one  print,  on 
plate,  register  this  on  the  back,  and  remove  a  like 
blank  sheet.  Also  make  the  moves  at  the  same 
time;  repeat  this  until  the  entire  form  is  gone  over. 
This  should  finish  your  innerlaying,  or  nearly  so, 
and  put  your  plates  nearly  in  register. 

Notice  how  this  method  keeps  the  pressman 
doing  the  most  important  work  and  at  the  same 
same  time  keeps  the  feeder  occupied.  The  old  way 


IOO 


CYLINDER  PRESS 


of  innerlaying  was  to  remove  the  plates  to  inner- 
lay  them,  then  go  over  all  this  work  again  to  regis¬ 
ter  in  with  the  feeder  loafing  all  the  time.  The 
method  described  is  far  more  satisfactory  and 
reduces  the  time  one-half. 

7.  Now  we  have  the  innerlaying  complete,  and 
our  position  is  O.K.  Take  a  sheet  of  its  own  stock, 
place  to  the  guides  and  on  top  a  sheet  of  enamel. 
Pull  an  impression,  mark  out  what  we  call  a 
“marked-out  overlay.’’  This  is  marked  out  ac¬ 
cording  to  the  color  gradations,  in  each  particular 
half-tone.  First  give  the  light  grays  one  sheet  of 
folio,  then  the  darker  gradations.  Outline  these 
with  a  pencil,  using  carbon,  as  they  must  be  patch¬ 
ed  up  on  the  back  with  folio.  Mark  out  the  solids. 
Of  course,  all  the  white  or  highlights  must  not 
receive  this  additional  squeeze  at  all.  This  is  only 
to  increase  the  impression  on  the  dark  values,  and 
solids.  Technically  speaking,  an  “overlay”  is  a 
film  of  varying  thickness  corresponding  to  the 
shading  or  intensity  of  the  color  in  the  picture  or 
engraving.  This  marked-out  overlay  is  only  used  if 
you  have  no  mechanical  overlays  of  any  kind  for 
this  particular  job. 

To  make  an  overlay  more  clearly  understood — 
an  overlay  is  thick  where  the  picture  is  darkest 
(solid),  thin  where  there  is  little  or  no  color,  and 
it  varies  in  thickness  as  the  tone  of  the  picture  is 
lighter  or  darker.  The  purpose  of  an  overlay  is  to 
increase  the  impression  in  the  dark  portions  of  a 
half-tone  print,  and  reduce  impression  in  the  deli¬ 
cate  and  highlight  portions.  It  may  be  a  patch-up 


MAKE-READY 


IOI 


overlay  of  folio,  hand-cut,  or  made  mechanically. 

The  feeder  will  patch  up  this  mark-out  overlay, 
with  folio,  on  the  back  of  the  print,  being  careful 
not  to  let  any  extend  over  into  the  highlights,  as 
one  should  never  sacrifice  a  highlight  to  increase 
the  impression  on  a  solid. 

8.  The  pressman,  in  the  meantime,  opens  the 
packing,  and  puts  in  one  sheet  of  enamel,  and  one 
sheet  of  its  own  stock — just  loose,  next  to  the 
bottom  draw  sheet.  Now  reel  up  the  draw  sheets, 
good  and  tight.  Then  print  an  impression  on  the 
top  draw,  only  one  print.  Take  your  knife  and 
punch  as  many  L-shaped  register  punch  marks  as 
you  will  need  for  the  number  of  sections  into  which 
the  sheet  will  be  cut,  two  for  each  section. 

9.  Run  press  around  and  open  the  packing,  having 
the  grippers  open.  Open  the  clamps  and  remove 
the  top  sheet  which  you  did  not  paste.  Close  the 
clamp  again,  but  do  not  reel  in  the  other  top  sheet 
as  yet.  Leave  the  packing  open,  and  remove  the 
two  sheets  you  placed  in  to  get  the  proper  amount 
of  impression.  Be  sure  brake  is  on  press. 

10.  The  manila  top  sheet  should  be  cut  up  as  per 
sections  punched.  Be  careful  not  to  cut  off  any  of 
the  punch  marks.  This  manila  will  show  you  a 
few  weak  spots  that  can  be  marked  out  and  patch¬ 
ed  up  with  tissue.  By  this  time  the  feeder  should 
have  the  overlays  all  patched  up.  If  you  have 
mechanical  overlays  as  previously  explained,  they 
should  be  attached  to  this  manila  sheet,  in  correct 
register.  This  method  insures  getting  the  overlays 
on  exactly. 


102 


CYLINDER  PRESS 


11.  Proceed  to  attach  your  make-ready  to  the 
bottom  draw  sheet  in  correct  register  with  the 
punch  marks.  On  the  gripper  edge  have  the  sheet 
of  manila  come  to  the  very  edge  of  cylinder.  In 
attaching  overlays  to  the  manila  draw,  register 
the  manila  on  first,  then  the  overlay  sheet.  Paste 
only  the  edge  facing  the  gripper  edge.  Reel  in  your 
packing  and  if  the  previous  instructions  have  been 
carried  out  properly,  you  will  have  a  hard  and 
lasting  make-ready.  This  is  one  of  the  most  scien¬ 
tific  methods  of  make-ready  for  plates  on  patent 
base. 

12.  To  test  out  the  make-ready,  before  you  start 
to  run,  place  a  sheet  of  its  own  stock  to  the  guides, 
and  on  top  of  this,  a  sheet  of  newsprint  paper. 
Print  one  impression,  and  notice  the  highlights. 
If  they  are  clean  and  clear,  all  is  well  and  you  can 
rest  assured  that  you  will  get  all  that  it  is  possible 
to  get  out  of  the  wear  of  these  plates.  But  if  some 
spots  appear  cloudy  in  the  highlights,  there  is  too 
much  impression,  and  it  should  be  reduced  before 
you  print  very  many  sheets. 

This  newsprint  is  a  never-failing  test  and  should 
be  used  at  all  times,  as  it  proves  to  you  that  your 
job  has  the  correct  amount  of  impression,  and  you 
know  the  highlights  are  printing  clean,  without  the 
worry  of  wear.  The  highlights  are  the  most  impor¬ 
tant,  and  one  should  not  squash  or  enlarge  the  dots 
by  excessive  impression,  otherwise  you  have  an 
inferior  product. 

When  plates  or  cuts  are  more  than  type-high, 
they  will  show  wear  on  the  extreme  back  edge. 


MAKE-READY 


103 


If  cylinder  is  overpacked,  the  packing  will  have 
a  tendency  to  creep  or  tear  out  of  the  clamps  at  the 
gripper  edge. 

When  a  form  demands  a  great  deal  of  pressure, 
divide  this  pressure,  placing  one  half  on  the  cylin¬ 
der  and  the  other  half  under  the  plates. 

Good  register  should  be  possible  even  on  ordinary 
presses  if  all  the  adjustments  were  properly  made.  How¬ 
ever,  the  condition  of  the  stock  not  infrequently  is  respon¬ 
sible  for  bad  register,  and  the  only  way  to  overcome  this 
is  to  properly  season  the  paper  in  the  pressroom  before 
printing,  and  keep  it  there  until  all  the  printing  is  finally 
completed. 

The  first  essential  in  the  process  of  securing  register  is 
proper  make-ready.  The  units  of  the  form  should  be  brought 
up  to  type-high,  and  a  perfectly  level  surface  secured,  which 
will  afterwards  necessitate  very  little  overlaying.  Bear  in 
mind  that  any  disturbance  of  the  pitch  line,  by  overlaying, 
even  though  it  be  in  spots,  will  disastrously  effect  the 
register. 

Guide  rests,  and  the  guides  themselves,  should  bear  a 
proper  relation  to  the  surface  to  the  cylinder  packing, 
which  should  have  a  snug  and  smoothly  drawn  top  sheet. 

The  guides  should  lift  at  the  latest  possible  moment,  and 
have  smooth  surfaces.  There  should  be  no  roughened,  or 
cut  places  on  the  face  of  the  guides  that  would  tend  to  lift 
the  sheet,  or  throw  it  back  while  the  grippers  are  taking  hold. 
If  the  guides  are  rough,  make  them  smooth  by  the  use  of  a 
piece  of  No.  1  emery  cloth  tacked  to  an  inch  strip  of  cigar- 
box  wood,  and  used  as  a  file  up  and  down  rather  than  across 
the  guide.  Several  drops  of  oil  applied  directly  to  the  emery 
will  improve  the  result. 


104 


CYLINDER  PRESS 


See  to  it  that  the  feeder  (if  the  human  agent  is  employed) 
does  not  switch  the  under  sheet  just  at  the  time  the  guides 
are  lifting  and  the  grippers  are  taking  hold  of  a  sheet 
ahead.  There  is  a  moment  at  this  point  when  the  sheet  has 
no  support  at  the  guide  edge.  The  grippers  should  take 
the  sheet  with  a  uniform  pressure  and  should  not  extend 
over  the  sheet  more  than  two-eighths  of  an  inch — preferably 
not  more  than  one  pica.  Sometimes  the  spring  actuating 
the  gripper  rod,  if  set  unnecessarily  strong,  will  throw  the 
cylinder  forward  irregularly  when  the  grippers  are  closing 
and  be  the  cause  of  a  mysterious  uncertainty  of  register. 

Use  the  “drop  fingers”  when  the  press  is  so  equipped. 
When  there  are  no  drop  fingers,  cut  two  pieces  of  coarse 
emery  cloth  an  inch  square  and  insert  one  between  each 
guide  rest  and  the  feed  board,  allowing  a  quarter-inch  to 
project  to  touch  the  sheet  and  prevent  it  from  being  forced 
back  by  the  lifting  of  the  guides. 

Use  a  guide  rest,  or  perhaps  two,  to  support  the  sheet 
between  the  ones  on  which  the  guides  operate. 

Have  the  register  rack  so  adjusted  that  the  bed  will  be 
carrying  the  cylinder  rather  than  the  cylinder  carrying  the 
bed  along,  otherwise  the  register  will  be  perfect  at  the  head 
line  and  defective  in  the  center  and  back  end  of  the  sheet. 
Be  sure  that  the  springs  that  lift  the  cylinder  are  set  strong 
enough  to  do  that  work  efficiently,  otherwise  there  will  be  a 
variation  in  the  amount  of  gripper-edge  margin  all  through 
the  run. 

Have  the  feed  board  fastened  tightly  in  place  so  the 
feeder  will  not  move  it  by  leaning  against  it. 

Ink.  The  ink  should  be  put  in  the  fountain  and  the 
fountain  carefully  marked,  as  to  where  the  gutters  are  on  the 
form,  also  to  facilitate  the  setting  of  same  by  the  thumb- 


MAKE-READY 


105 


screws.  Be  sure  to  start  in  the  center  of  fountain  to  set,  but 
never  cut  ink  entirely  dry  where  gutters  come.  Leave  a  thin 
film  of  ink  on  there. 

The  steel  fountain  roller,  by  a  rotary  motion,  transfers 
ink  by  the  ductor  roller,  or  conveyor,  to  the  plate  and  angle 
rollers.  The  angle  rollers  rotating  upon  the  ink  plate  by 
mechanical  means  are  provided  with  a  lateral  movement, 
which  causes  the  ink  to  be  distributed  upon  the  plate  in  a 
perfectly  even  film.  The  form  rollers  take  the  ink  from  the 
plate  and  distribute  it  upon  the  form  or  engravings.  Ex¬ 
perience  has  shown  that  four  form  rollers  are  required  to 
properly  ink  a  form  by  passing  over  it  in  both  directions. 
When  the  form  is  properly  inked,  it  is  ready  for  the  im¬ 
pression.  Perfect  printing  depends  to  a  large  extent  upon 
the  proper  amount  of  ink  being  used,  the  correct  consistency 
of  same,  together  with  a  uniform  impression  on  the  printing 
surface.  When  the  ink  used  is  too  condensed  or  heavy, 
proper  distribution  and  inking  of  form  is  difficult ;  ‘  ‘  picking  ’  ’ 
or  tearing  particles  of  coating  from  the  surface  of  paper  will 
be  the  result  when  this  is  removed  from  the  form  after  the 
impression.  When  ink  is  too  thin,  it  will  not  only  be  deposit¬ 
ed  upon  the  surface  of  the  form,  but  run  into  it,  thereby 
causing  lines  and  dots  in  the  engraving  to  show  larger  than 
their  natural  size.  During  the  impression,  ink  which  is  too 
thin  will  run  and  produce  an  irregular  print,  and  a  full 
strength  of  color  can  not  be  obtained.  A  pressman,  in 
watching  process  color  work,  should  watch  the  highlights 
and  middletones,  picture  the  subject  as  it  will  be  when 
finished — the  heavies  or  solids  will  take  care  of  themselves. 

It  is  a  conceded  fact  that  the  rolling  impression  on  a 
cylinder  press  is  preferable  to  the  flat  impression  of  the 
platen  or  job  press;  and  as  matter  of  fact,  large  plates, 


io6 


CYLINDER  PRESS 


intense  in  color,  can  only  be  printed  successfully  on  the 
cylinder  press.  For  long  runs  of  many  thousands,  or  millions, 
the  modern  two-revolution  cylinder  press  has  proven  super¬ 
ior,  both  in  speed  and  in  the  uniform  quality  of  the  product. 

Presses  for  color  work  must  meet  demands  which  are 
most  exacting.  The  first  and  most  important  is  register, 
which  means  that  the  form  must  meet  the  impression  on 
the  cylinder  in  exactly  the  same  place  during  every  im¬ 
pression.  The  second,  third  and  fourth  colors  must  be 
printed  in  absolute  register  with  the  first  in  order  to  produce 
satisfactory  work;  and  if  the  press  is  not  mechanically 
perfect  this  is  impossible. 

In  the  course  of  time  it  was  found  expedient  to  improve 
the  single-cylinder  machines  by  adding  another  cylinder, 
so  that  two  colors  might  be  printed  on  the  sheet  in  one 
operation.  The  advantage  of  such  a  machine  is  apparent, 
for  it  is  not  only  a  time  saver,  but,  owing  to  its  peculiar 
construction,  the  two  colors  may  be  printed  in  register  with 
greater  accuracy  than  is  possible  on  the  single  color  presses. 
Another  point  in  favor  of  the  two-color  press  is  the  reduc¬ 
tion  in  waste. 

In  working  three-color  processes  on  a  two-color  press,  it 
is  best  to  run  blue  on  the  first  cylinder  and  red  on  the  second 
cylinder.  If  the  yellow  is  strong,  it  is  best  to  run  the  yellow 
first  on  a  single-cylinder  press,  then  follow  with  the  blue 
and  red.  But  if  yellow  is  light,  run  a  transparent  yellow 
last  after  the  blue  and  red,  on  a  single  cylinder. 

In  four-color  process  work  on  a  two-color  press,  always 
run  black  on  the  first  cylinder,  as  it  should  print  sharp  and 
clean;  it  will  print  so  on  the  first  cylinder,  as  a  stiff  ink  is 
required  for  the  red  to  print  over  on  the  second  cylinder. 

When  ordering  inks  for  a  two-color  press,  be  sure  to 


MIEHLE  TWO-COLOR 


MAKE-READY 


107 


state  which  cylinder  you  intend  to  run  the  colors  on,  as  the 
first  cylinder  requires  a  good  stiff  ink,  the  second  cylinder 
requires  a  softer  ink,  to  print  over  this  stiff  wet  ink. 

To  get  the  best  results  on  a  four-color  job,  if  possible, 
run  the  yellow  on  a  single  cylinder,  then  run  black  and  red 
together  on  two-color,  then  run  the  blue  on  a  single  cylinder. 
Here  you  have  the  main  colors  in  perfect  register:  always 
prepare  the  job  with  yellow  and  put  the  finishing  touches 
to  it  with  blue.  If  necessary  to  run  the  entire  job  on  a  two- 
color  press,  run  black  and  red  together  first,  then  run  blue 
and  yellow  together. 

The  rotation  of  printing  may  be  changed  if  the  inks  of 
the  same  shade  are  used,  without  affecting  the  result.  If 
yellow  is  printed  last,  a  transparent  ink  must  be  used. 
Indian  lake  is  a  transparent  ink. 

In  registering  color  process  plates  in  order  to  obtain  the 
proper  results,  the  dots  must  print  as  nearly  as  possible 
on  the  paper  which  has  been  left  uncovered  by  the  pre¬ 
viously  printed  color. 

A  form  for  close  register  should  not  be  locked  or  spaced 
with  wood  furniture,  beyond  a  nonpareil  reglet  or  such 
matter.  Every  change  in  temperature  affects  wood,  either 
shrinking  or  swelling  it.  In  the  same  manner,  atmospheric 
conditions  affect  paper.  Damp  weather  enlarges  the  sheet 
and  dry  weather  contracts  it.  A  thunderstorm  may  cause 
loss  of  register  on  next  color,  and  waste  of  such  stock  as  may 
be  printed  during  the  storm.  Register  may  be  lost  over 
night  because  the  weather  has  changed.  All  stock  printed 
and  unprinted  should  be  carefully  protected  from  humid 
air.  It  will  even  then  be  found  that  a  few  of  the  top  sheets 
on  a  pile,  on  a  register  job  will  be  out  of  register. 

Paper  should  always  be  piled  evenly  and  squarely, 


io8 


CYLINDER  PRESS 


to  guard  against  atmospheric  changes.  Roughly  piled  stock 
is  more  exposed  to  the  air.  Keep  printed  stock  covered. 

On  a  register  job,  in  the  morning  when  coming  to  run, 
if  you  find  the  guides  out,  up  from  the  guide  rests,  change 
the  height  of  the  board,  not  the  guides — while  the  atmos- 
sphere  does  not  change  the  steel  guide  rod,  it  does  the 
feed  board. 

To  run  two  shades  of  a  color  at  one  time  on  Miehle, 
put  washers  on  composition  vibrators  to  stop  vibration  of 
rollers.  On  form  rollers  push  nut  back  in  slide  as  far  as  it 
will  go  on  Miehle  press.  This  will  stop  vibration  of  steel 
vibrators.  Use  fountain  dividers  as  needed. 

To  connect  up  governor  rods  on  a  two-color  press,  place 
the  bed  of  press  at  the  extreme  end  of  machine  (either  end) ; 
put  a  piece  of  cardboard  between  the  cam  and  governor 
to  allow  for  play,  to  be  taken  up  by  the  air,  then  close  both 
chambers  and  tighten  nuts  on  both  rods. 


OVERLAYS 


WHETHER  zinc,  or  hand-cut,  or  other  overlays  are 
used,  painstaking  accuracy  is  ever  the  greatest  secret 
of  any  form  of  make-ready  that  is  good,  and  it  should  be 
insisted  upon  by  the  foreman  who  is  responsible  for  fine 
results  in  the  pressroom.  A  careless,  happy-go-lucky  indi¬ 
vidual  has  no  business  in  a  pressroom.  A  pressman  must 
be  a  careful  and  painstaking  man  at  all  times. 

Hand-cut  Overlays.  Every  pressman  should  know 
how  to  make  perfect  hand-cut  overlays  without  spending 
too  much  time  on  same,  or  overdoing  it.  After  the  under¬ 
laying  is  all  done,  and  while  the  sheet  is  being  inspected  for 
a  position  O.K.,  print  an  impression  with  full  color  and 
squeeze  on  a  sheet  of  S.  and  S.  C.  32  x  44 — 100  lbs.;  also 
on  a  sheet  of  enamel  32  x  44 — 120  lbs.,  which  is  equal  to 
25  x  38 — 70  lbs. 

Take  the  S.  and  S.  C.  and  cut  in  from  the  outer  edge 
of  the  print  about  two  points ;  that  is  to  say,  cut  two  points 
off  the  outer  edges  of  the  print  of  each  individual  half-tone. 
This  causes  the  extreme  edges  to  print  clean,  and  also 
relieves  the  impression  on  the  outer  edges.  Now  it  must  be 
done  very  carefully;  if  you  cut  in  more  than  two  points, 
you  will  have  to  bring  back  the  impression  with  tissue,  and 
if  you  do  not  cut  in  exactly  two  points,  you  can  not  get  the 
results  you  are  striving  for.  After  this  is  done,  take  the 
enamel  sheet,  and  if  there  are  a  very  few  highlights  or 
white  lights  in  this  particular  half-tone,  cut  out  the  high¬ 
lights  and  paste  the  dark  portions  (with  all  light  or  white 
spots  cut  out)  on  this  other  sheet  of  S.  and  S.  C.  which  is 


I  IO 


CYLINDER  PRESS 


the  ground  sheet  in  exact  register,  and  in  cutting,  cut  directly 
on  the  outline.  But  if  the  cuts  contain  nearly  all  white 
spots,  and  less  dark  gradations,  cut  out  the  dark  parts  or 
solids  and  paste  them  on  the  S.  and  S.  C.  Register  on  ground 
sheet  and  paste  them  on  this  S.  and  S.  C.  Put  on  ground 
sheet  carefully.  After  you  have  the  solids  cut  from  the 
enamel,  and  pasted  on  the  S.  and  S.  C.  sheet  or  individual 
prints,  cut  out  the  real  white  or  highlights  from  the  S.  and 
S.  C.  This  gives  you  a  three-ply  overlay  by  using  only  two 
sheets.  If  you  cut  out  the  dark  middle  tones,  paste  them 
on  the  S.  and  S.  C.  sheet,  and  take  another  enamel  and  cut 
out  the  real  darks  or  solids,  and  paste  on  over  the  solids 
you  previously  pasted  on  with  the  middle  tones.  This  will 
give  you  a  heavier  overlay,  more  suitable  for  dull  coated 
stock.  Learn  to  cut  on  the  line.  Where  the  solids  or 
middle  gradations  gradually  fade  off  into  highlights,  the 
paper  should  gradually  be  made  thinner.  The  principle  of 
the  overlay  is  to  secure  more  impression  on  the  middle 
tones  and  solids,  as  they  require  more  pressure  to  print 
black,  sharp,  and  clean,  otherwise  we  must  make  up  the 
deficiencies  with  additional  ink,  causing  the  filling  up  of  the 
highlights,  making  them  cloudy  and  dirty,  and  thereby 
causing  offset,  on  the  next  sheet  to  be  delivered  on  top,  and 
inferior  prints. 

Furniture  Half-tones.  There  are  no  gradations  to 
speak  of,  so  we  print  an  impression  on  enamel,  and  cut  in 
two  points  from  the  outer  edge.  On  bureau  or  dresser 
half-tones,  containing  mirrors,  cut  out  the  white  portions 
of  mirror,  but  leave  in  the  shadows  and  gradually  slope  the 
edge  of  shadow  off  into  the  white  lights,  instead  of  breaking 
it  off  abrupt;  otherwise,  this  would  show  the  outline  where 
you  have  cut  and  pasted  on  the  patch.  All  hand-cut  over- 


MAKE-READY 


hi 


lays  can  be  matched  on  the  first  mark-out  sheet  in  correct 
register,  before  placing  on  press. 

Mechanical  Overlays.  These  should  be  matched  on 
a  manila  sheet  to  insure  getting  on  exactly,  and  also 
fastening  them  on  to  stay.  Avoid  lumps  in  the  paste  or 
glue.  The  metallic  or  chalk  overlay  should  be  pasted  or 
glued  on  manila.  In  packing  cylinder  press,  put  on  two 
top  manilas,  paste  the  first  one  in  the  clamps,  but  do  not 
paste  the  top  one;  fasten  clamps.  Then,  with  proper 
packing,  and  the  usual  three  sheets  of  its  own  stock  in 
packing  loose,  reel  these  two  top  sheets  in  together  on  same 
reel  rod.  After  underlaying  is  done,  position  and  impression 
are  O.K.  for  marking  out.  Print  on  a  sheet  to  mark  out,  then 
put  a  sheet  of  stock  job  is  to  be  printed  on,  in  packing;  then 
print  on  this  top  manila,  and  punch  or  stab  with  a  knife  or 
needle  each  section  in  two  places.  Now  open  reel,  and  back 
up  press,  open  the  packing  clamp  at  gripper  edge,  remove 
this  unpasted  top  sheet;  cut  it  into  sections,  and  glue  on  the 
mechanical  overlays.  This  top  sheet  will  place  the  overlays 
in  correct  position,  as  the  sheet  was  on  top,  when  printed, 
with  correct  packing,  thereby  giving  it  the  correct  circum¬ 
ference,  and  will  place  the  overlays  correctly.  The  manila 
being  good  and  strong  will  not  yield  a  particle,  and  you 
can  leave  -press  open  until  you  are  ready  to  put  the  first 
mark-out  sheet  on  when  patched  up,  thereby  saving  the 
time  to  open  packing  again. 

Zinc  Overlays.  The  zinc  overlay  is  one  of  the  very 
best  of  mechanical  overlays.  It  is  easily  and  quickly  made; 
the  overlay  is  indestructible  when  in  use;  it  is  an  overlay 
that  is  subject  to  no  distortion,  either  that  of  shrinkage 
or  stretching,  and  for  half-tones  that  are  run  time  and  time 
again,  commonly  called  “stock  cuts,”  it  cannot  be  excelled. 


I  12 


CYLINDER  PRESS 


This  metallic  overlay  was  patented  by  James  R.  Gilbert, 
but  The  Typolith  Co.,  of  Battle  Creek,  Mich.,  are  the  sole 
owners  of  all  machinery  and  rights  connected  with  the 
process.  They  prepare  the  zinc  and  furnish  same  in  various 
sizes  and  thicknesses,  also  other  articles  which  enter  into 
the  making  and  granting  of  license  for  making  of  same. 

Mechanical  Chalk  Relief  Overlay.  Is  an  etchable 
coated  board,  furnished  in  different  thickness.  A  specially 
prepared  ink,  for  the  printing  on  board,  after  which  it  is 
placed  in  etching  bath.  The  developed  overlay  is  exposed  to 
dry,  and  when  thoroughly  dry  is  ready  for  use. 

This  chalk  overlay  was  formerly  sold  by  Watzelhan  & 
Speyer,  183  William  St.,  New  York.  The  A.  M.  Collins 
Mfg.  Company,  Philadelphia,  have  a  similar  process. 


THE  MANUFACTURE  OF 
PRINTING  INK 

BY 

James  A.  Ullman 

PRINTING  ink  is  the  medium  through  which  the 
printer  expresses  himself.  Printing  is  the  “Art  pre¬ 
servative,”  and  through  Printing  Ink  the  visible  result  is 
carried  to  the  eye.  Alter  all  the  time,  thought  and  labor 
entering  into  the  planning  and  execution  of  the  work,  after 
the  type  and  paper  have  been  selected,  the  cuts  made — 
after  all  this  labor  and  thought  have  been  expended,  the 
proofs  read,  the  form  made  ready,  ’tis  Printing  Ink  that 
finally  proves  the  result,  and  shows  it  in  permanent  and 
visible  form. 

This  is  the  age  of  specialization  and  specialists;  a  devel¬ 
opment  which  has  both  its  advantages  and  its  disadvan¬ 
tages.  While  it  leads  to  progress  and  perfection,  and  the 
working  out  in  infinite  detail  of  the  art  or  subject  to  which 
it  is  applied,  the  limit  of  the  human  brain  naturally  gives 
specialization  a  tendency  towards  one-sidedness  or  narrow¬ 
mindedness.  The  art  of  printing,  today  is  specialized  in 
many  directions,  not  only  in  the  execution  of  various  pro¬ 
cesses  and  methods,  but  in  its  contributive  arts  and  manu¬ 
factures.  Therefore,  it  is  eminently  necessary  that  its 
votaries  have  at  least  an  intelligent  comprehension  of  the 
materials  with  which  they  work,  and  one  of  the  most  im¬ 
portant  of  these  is  Printing  Ink. 

If  we  reduce  the  process  of  printing  to  its  simplest  form, 
we  find  that  it  consists  primarily  of  a  design  from  which  to 


THE  MANUFACTURE 


1 14 

print,  and  a  surface  upon  which  to  print.  This  design  may 
simply  be  impressed  upon  the  given  surface,  as,  for  instance, 
a  foot-print  in  the  sand.  This  is  our  starting  point.  If  the 
foot-print  be  made,  instead  of  on  sand,  upon  a  harder  and 
more  permanent  surface,  and  if  instead  of  being  impressed, 
it  is  made  visible,  by  means,  we  shall  say,  of  muddy  feet,  we 
get  the  germ  of  that  kind  of  printing  which  we  are  consider¬ 
ing,  whose  three  factors  are  therefore  a  design  or  form 
from  which  to  print,  a  surface  upon  which  to  print,  and 
a  medium  to  make  that  impression  visible.  The  medium 
that  we  are  considering  is  Ink,  and  it  is,  therefore,  one  of  the 
three  fundamentals  with  which  the  printer  has  to  do,  and 
becomes,  as  it  were,  one  of  the  principal  tools  of  his  art. 

We  can  therefore  define  Printing  Ink  as  a  colored  medium 
to  make  the  impression  visible,  which  is  easy  enough  to  say, 
but  the  questions  arise:  How  does  it  do  it;  and,  why  does 
it  do  it?  It  is  one  of  those  phenomena  which  we  see  so 
constantly  that  it  perhaps  never  occurs  to  us  to  inquire  into 
the  principles  upon  which  it  is  based.  We  see  painting  done. 
We  see  the  painter  dip  his  brush  into  the  paint,  and  spread 
it  upon  a  given  surface.  A  little  consideration  shows  us 
that  there  is  a  certain  adhesion  between  the  paint  and  the 
bristles  or  fibres  of  the  brush;  that  there  is  also  some 
capillary  attraction  of  the  spaces  between  the  brush  for  the 
paint,  so  the  brush  will  take  up,  or  absorb,  a  quantity  of  the 
paint.  In  greater  part,  however,  it  is  but  very  loosely  held, 
and  as  soon  as  the  brush  is  applied  with  some  pressure  to 
any  surface,  the  attraction  or  adhesion  for  that  surface  to 
the  paint  is  greater  than  the  adhesion  of  the  brush  for  the 
paint,  and  greater  indeed  than  the  cohesion  of  the  particles 
of  the  paint  among  themselves,  so  that  by  far  the  greater 
part  of  the  paint  will  leave  the  brush  and  adhere  to  the  sur- 


OF  PRINTING  INK 


nS 


face  to  be  painted.  A  certain  amount  of  pressure  must  be 
used  in  applying  the  paint,  but  this  is  no  doubt  merely 
necessary  in  order  to  bring  the  paint  on  the  brush  into 
intimate  contact  with  the  surface  upon  which  it  is  applied, 
as  the  adhesion  can  act  only  at  very  close  range. 

If  we  now  take,  say  a  cut,  and  apply  Printing  Ink  to  it 
with  a  roller,  a  given  amount  of  it  will  leave  the  roller  and 
cover  the  cut  on  exactly  the  same  principle  as  the  paint 
leaves  the  brush  for  the  surface  to  be  painted.  If  you  touch 
a  painted  surface  with  your  hands  or  clothing,  you  will  find, 
often  to  your  great  displeasure  and  annoyance,  that  the 
paint  will  again  transfer  itself,  and  again  the  reason  is  that 
the  adhesion  of  the  paint  to  your  clothing  is  greater  than 
its  adhesion  for  the  wood,  and  also  greater  than  its  own 
cohesion. 

Let  us  go  back  now  to  the  cut  which  we  have  inked.  If 
we  lay  a  piece  of  paper  on  a  table,  and  upon  that  the  form 
with  its  inked  surface  downwards,  perhaps  a  little  of  the  ink 
will  leave  the  form  (if  the  quantity  be  considerable)  and 
adhere  to  the  paper.  If,  however,  we  apply  sufficient 
pressure  to  bring  the  form  into  intimate  contact  with  the 
paper,  the  greater  part  of  the  ink  will  leave  the  form  for  the 
paper.  If  the  form  be  an  absolute  plane,  and  the  pressure 
be  applied  absolutely  uniformly  over  the  entire  surface, 
no  doubt  all  the  ink  would  leave  the  form  for  the  paper,  and 
we  therefore  deduce  the  principle  that  the  adhesion  of  ink  to 
paper  is  greater  than  the  adhesion  of  ink  to  metal,  and  great¬ 
er  than  its  own  cohesion.  On  these  fortunate  facts  the 
entire  process  of  printing  is  based.  We  must  bear  them  con¬ 
stantly  in  mind,  and  keep  them  plainly  before  us,  and  they 
will  enable  us  to  solve  many  of  the  difficulties  that  arise 
daily  in  printing.  We  can  readily  see,  for  instance,  that  if  the 


1 16 


THE  MANUFACTURE 


paper  be  very  absorbent,  in  other  words,  if  it  has  a  great 
capillary  attraction,  that  this  will  facilitate  the  transference 
of  the  ink  to  itself  from  the  form;  that  the  harder  the  surface 
and  the  less  absorbent,  the  more  difficult  becomes  this 
transference,  and  that  in  that  case  we  must  count  more 
upon  the  simple  division  of  the  film  of  ink  into  two  films, 
the  thicker  one  of  which  will  remain  upon  the  paper,  and  the 
thinner  one  upon  the  form. 

Having  now  described  the  function  of  the  ink,  let  us  try 
to  give  a  simple  description  or  definition  as  broadly  as  may 
be  of  what  Printing  Ink  is.  We  might  say  that  it  is  a  pig¬ 
ment  ground  into  a  vehicle  or  varnish.  The  use  of  the  word 
“vehicle”  is  in  itself  already  a  further  explanation,  the  var¬ 
nish  being  simply  as  the  word  “vehicle”  expresses  a 
carrier  for  the  pigment.  It  is  the  varnish  which  carries  the 
color  or  pigment  during  the  process  of  the  manufacture  of 
the  ink,  that  is  to  say  the  grinding.  It  is  the  varnish  which 
carries  the  color  or  pigment  from  the  fountain  to  the  rollers, 
from  the  roller  to  the  form,  and  the  form  to  the  paper.  It  is 
the  varnish  which  is  transferred  from  one  surface  to  the 
other  in  the  desired  sequence.  The  varnish  it  is  which  really 
does  the  printing,  or  is  printed.  As  the  varnish,  however, 
has  no  color  of  itself,  it  hardly  becomes  evident  or  visible, 
though  sometimes,  for  instance,  a  glossy  varnish  is  printed 
over  other  colors  to  add  to  their  gloss  or  brilliancy.  It 
therefore  becomes  necessary  to  combine  with  the  varnish 
various  colors  or  pigments,  to  make  the  impression  visible, 
and  by  our  choice  of  the  colors  and  qualities  of  these  pig¬ 
ments,  we  are  enabled  to  produce  printing  ink  in  all  the 
multitudinous  shades  that  we  see  before  us  today.  While 
it  is  not  within  my  province  to  enter  into  a  discussion  of  the 
various  processes  of  printing,  it  may  still  be  wise  to  pause 


OF  PRINTING  INK 


ii  7 

for  a  moment  to  view  them  with  reference  to  the  question  of 
ink.  There  are  three  distinct  methods  of  printing: 

Intaglio  Printing,  where  the  design  is  sunken  into  the 
form:  the  impression  is,  as  it  were,  a  cast  from  that  design. 
In  this  category  comes  steel  and  copperplate  printing, 
etching,  etc. 

Next  we  come  to  Surface  Printing,  which  is  based . 
upon  a  design  upon  a  plane  surface,  which  design  is  so  made 
or  chemically  treated,  that  it  has  an  affinity  for  the  ink, 
the  rest  of  the  surface  repels  the  ink.  Such  processes  in- 
clud  Lithography,  Metal-Lithography  and  the  Gelatin 
process. 

Finally  we  come  to  the  printing  which  is  done  from  a 
surface  in  relief,  or  Typographic  Printing.  This  is  the 
class  of  printing  we  have  specially  in  view,  and  in  regard  to 
which  we  shall  principally  contemplate  the  question  of 
Printing  Ink. 

Having  now  a  general  idea  of  what  Printing  Ink  must 
do,  and  why  it  does  it,  and  how  it  does  it,  let  us  examine 
into  the  various  properties  of  Printing  Ink  that  concern  the 
printer.  These  properties  may  be  divided  into  primary  and 
secondary,  also,  in  each  case,  into  physical  and  chemical 
properties.  The  primary  physical  properties  are  consis¬ 
tency,  drying  and  permanency,  their  importance  being 
in  the  order  in  which  they  are  mentioned.  Among  secon¬ 
dary  physical  properties  might  be  mentioned  such  com¬ 
paratively  unimportant  characteristics  as  specific  gravity, 
opacity  in  some  cases,  finish  or  lustre,  etc. 

On  the  chemical  properties  are  based  the  keeping  quali¬ 
ties  of  ink,  to  some  extent  its  drying,  and  indeed  the  phy¬ 
sical  properties  are  often  dependent  upon  chemical  causes. 
We  are,  however,  interested  principally  in  what  I  have 


1 18 


THE  MANUFACTURE 


termed  the  primary  physical  properties,  and  shall  merely 
refer  to  the  less  important  ones  as  occasion  requires. 

Printing  Ink,  which,  as  we  have  said,  consists  of  a 
pigment  ground  into  a  vehicle,  varies  according  to  its  in¬ 
tended  requirements  from  a  syrupy  liquid  to  a  thick  pasty 
mass  with  intermediate  consistencies  according  to  its 
intended  purpose.  Its  consistency  is  its  most  important 
quality,  and  must  be  regulated  according  to  the  press  and 
paper  upon  which  it  is  to  be  used.  We  shall  find  that  the 
consistency  of  Printing  Ink  is  intimately  involved  and  con¬ 
nected  with  many  of  its  other  properties,  notably  its  drying. 
The  physical  properties  of  a  material  like  Printing  Ink 
become  fused  and  combined  one  with  the  other  in  such  a 
way  as  to  make  recognition  at  times  very  difficult;  so  the 
factor  of  the  consistency  of  ink,  particularly  the  stickiness  or 
tackiness  of  the  ink,  combined  with  what  is  termed  its 
“flow.”  Take  vaseline,  for  instance:  here  we  have  a  sub¬ 
stance  which  is  very  thick,  but  not  sticky.  On  the  other 
hand,  mucilage  is  thin  and  watery,  but  very  sticky,  and  the 
proper  consistency  of  Printing  Ink  is  such  as  to  provide 
for  the  correct  viscosity  and  the  correct  stickiness  or  tack. 

Some  pigments  ground  into  varnish  in  a  given  proportion 
simply  give  a  thick  pasty  mass,  while  others,  due  to  their 
nature,  increase  the  stickiness  or  tackiness.  We  must  there¬ 
fore  have  means,  and  those  means  we  have,  to  increase  or  de¬ 
crease  the  fluidity,  or  to  increase  or  decrease  the  tack.  The 
thickness  as  well  as  the  fluidity  are  in  a  measure  due  to  the 
heaviness  or  stickiness  of  the  varnish  itself,  and  to  the  nature 
or  quantity  of  the  pigment  ground  into  it.  The  consistency 
of  the  ink  is,  we  repeat  once  more,  one  of  its  most  important 
characteristics,  and  must  be  necessarily  to  the  greatest 
possible  degree  adapted  to  the  work  required ;  it  is  here  that 


OF  PRINTING  INK 


1 19 

the  highest  art  of  the  ink-maker  comes  into  play,  so  that,  as 
has  well  been  said,  the  ink  at  times  seems  to  exert  almost 
human  intelligence  in  accomplishing  what  is  wanted.  The 
ink  must  be  soft  enough  and  fluid  enough  to  flow  properly 
in  the  press  and  to  distribute  itself  over  the  rollers  and  form. 
It  must  not  be  too  sticky,  lest  it  tear  the  surface  of  the  stock, 
nor,  on  the  other  hand,  too  soft,  lest  it  soak  away  into  the 
paper  instead  of  leaving  a  due  proportion  upon  the  surface. 
If  it  be  too  heavy,  it  will  not  distribute  properly,  conse¬ 
quently  too  much  ink  will  be  carried,  the  type  and  cuts  will 
be  filled  up,  while  the  thicker  layer  of  ink  on  the  paper  will 
also  retard  the  drying.  Again,  upon  the  other  hand,  if  the 
ink  be  too  thin,  it  will  run  into  the  crevices  of  the  type,  cuts 
and  halftones,  producing  a  muddy  result.  The  varnish  will 
soak  away  into  the  surface  of  the  paper,  giving  a  mottled 
effect,  while  at  the  same  time  failing  to  fulfill  one  of  its 
principal  duties,  which  is  to  cement  the  pigment  to  the 
paper.  If  the  ink  be  too  thin,  it  is  because  the  varnish  is  too 
thin.  The  capillary  attraction  of  the  paper  will  entirely 
overcome  the  adhesion  between  the  pigment  and  the  varnish, 
the  latter  will  be  absorbed  by  the  paper,  the  pigment  will 
remain  stranded  upon  the  surface,  not  properly  combined 
or  cemented  to  the  paper,  and  will  consequently  readily 
be  rubbed  off.  This  is  the  principle  on  which  inks  for  carbon 
papers  are  made.  To  understand  this  point  properly,  it  is 
necessary  to  conceive  that  in  every  case  the  varnish  in  the 
ink  must  act  like  the  size  used  in  bronze  printing.  It  must 
remain  to  a  certain  extent  on  the  surface  of  the  paper,  and 
hold  the  pigment  there.  When  it  is  too  thin,  it  cannot 
fulfill  this  function,  and  the  result  will  be  as  above  described. 
Taken  all  in  all,  we  cannot  too  strongly  dwell  upon  the 
importance  of  the  consistency  of  Printing  Ink,  and  almost 


120 


THE  MANUFACTURE 


every  trouble  that  occurs  in  printing,  as  far  as  it  is  due  to, 
and  can  be  remedied  by,  the  proper  adjustment  of  ink 
results  from  the  improper  consistency  of  the  ink  in  a  given 
case.  The  remedy  is  then  found  in  correcting  the  consis¬ 
tency,  and  it  must  be  determined  whether  the  ink  is  too 
soft  or  too  heavy,  but  symptoms  in  such  cases  being  fre¬ 
quently  very  similar,  and  often  confusing,  the  proper  solu¬ 
tion  of  the  problem  must  be  based  upon  careful  observation 
at  the  press. 

To  tell  the  ink-maker  that  the  ink  does  not  work  pro¬ 
perly  is  such  vague  information  that  it  may  be  impossible 
for  him  to  provide  the  proper  remedy.  But  we  might  safely 
say  that  it  is  always  better  for  the  printer  to  purchase  his 
inks  rather  too  heavy  than  too  soft,  because  it  is  compara¬ 
tively  simple  to  soften  the  ink  by  the  use  of  varnishes, 
while  it  is  practically  impossible  for  him  to  increase  the 
consistency,  or  to  make  the  ink  stiffer  or  heavier. 

Practically  never  do  ideal  conditions  prevail  in  printing. 
They  would  really  arise  only  through  accident,  and  there¬ 
fore  as  a  rule  such  a  compromise  must  be  effected  as  will 
most  nearly  produce  correct  results.  For  instance,  in  a  job 
or  platen  press  the  construction  of  the  press  requires  a 
heavy  ink,  but  the  tackiness  of  such  an  ink  is  too  great  for 
use  on  coated  paper,  on  which  it  would  most  probably  pick. 
Therefore  in  printing  a  form  on  coated  paper  on  a  job  press, 
the  press  dictates  a  heavy  ink,  the  paper  dictates  a  soft 
ink — two  diametrically  opposing  factors  which  can  not  both 
be  catered  to  at  the  same  time.  Therefore  such  a  comprom¬ 
ise  between  the  two  must  be  made  which  will  do  the  max¬ 
imum  justice  to  both,  while,  of  course,  not  doing  full 
justice  to  either. 

Differences  in  temperature,  weather,  and  stock,  play 


OF  PRINTING  INK 


121 


a  most  important  role  in  the  production  of  printing,  and 
have  a  powerful  influence  upon  the  consistency  of  ink. 
Each  one  of  these  factors  is  much  more  changeable  and 
subject  to  variations  than  the  product  of  any  reputable  ink 
manufacturer;  but  temperature,  weather  variations,  and 
differences  in  stock  are  often  not  recognized,  lost  sight  of  or 
forgotten,  while  the  ink  is  something  tangible,  and  appears 
fractious,  though  simply  obeying  definite  fundamental  and 
unalterable  physical  laws,  upon  whose  very  unalterableness 
the  entire  process  of  printing  is  based.  The  consistency  of 
the  ink  is  changed  by  the  temperature;  it  becomes  softer  as 
the  temperature  rises,  and  heavier  as  it  falls.  Humidity  in 
the  atmosphere  opens  the  pores  of  the  paper  so  that  it  will 
become  more  absorbent.  A  still  greater  degree  of  humidity 
will  make  the  paper  repellent  to  the  oily  ink,  and  in  some 
cases  where  the  paper  is  coated  or  enamelled,  the  humidity 
disintegrates  the  coating,  so  that  it  easily  leaves  the  body  of 
the  paper.  It  must  not  be  forgotten  that  the  ink  can  not 
automatically  regulate  itself  to  ever-changing  conditions. 
Sad  it  is,  indeed,  but  it  must  be  recorded  that  the  ink  does 
exactly  the  opposite  of  what  would  be  necessary,  for,  when 
lower  temperature  would  require  a  softer  ink,  the  ink 
becomes  heavier,  and  when  rising  temperature  dictates  a 
heavier  ink,  the  ink  becomes  softer. 

The  printer  must  therefore  either  select  his  ink  according 
to  conditions,  regulate  the  ink  as  occasion  dictates,  or,  at 
least,  must  supply  his  ink  maker  with  the  results  of  intelli¬ 
gent  observation  in  such  a  form  as  to  enable  his  requirements 
to  be  understood. 

Let  us  not  forget  that  the  consistency  of  the  ink,  to  a 
great  extent  dictates  its  proper  working  on  the  press,  the 
proper  appearance  of  the  work  when  finished,  and  has  a 


122 


THE  MANUFACTURE 


great  influence  upon  the  drying  of  the  ink  upon  the  paper. 
Keeping  in  mind  the  paramount  importance  of  the  consis¬ 
tency,  we  are  thus  led  directly  to  the  second  most  important 
characteristic  of  Printing  Ink,  namely  Drying. 

We  all  think  we  know  what  drying  is.  It  is,  again,  one 
of  those  phenomena  which  we  see  so  frequently  that  it 
never  occurs  to  us  to  investigate  its  why  and  wherefore.  It 
is  one  of  those  loose  and  vague  expressions  that  have  many 
meanings,  for  when  we  analyze  the  meaning  of  the  verb 
“to  dry”  we  see  that  it  has  many  phases.  When  the  sun 
comes  out  after  a  rainfall,  the  water  will  soon  disappear 
from  a  stone  pavement,  and  the  streets  will  be  dry.  The 
heat  of  the  sun  has  simply  converted  the  water  into  invisible 
vapor,  which  disappears  from  view.  This  is  one  kind  of 
drying,  evaporation,  or  volatilization.  On  a  good  dirt  road 
the  water  will  have  disappeared  more  rapidly  than  on  the 
stone  pavement;  part  of  it  will  have  evaporated,  but  the 
greater  part  will  merely  have  soaked  away.  This  is  a  second 
kind  of  drying,  absorption. 

Now  let  us  take  a  piece  of  some  hard  non-absorbent 
material,  as,  for  instance,  glass  or  sheet  iron.  Let  us  paint 
it  with  paint  containing  no  turpentine,  benzine,  or  other 
volatile  material:  say  a  paint  made  by  grinding  a  pigment 
into  linseed  oil,  which  is  practically  non-volatile  at  ordinary 
temperatures.  In  the  course  of  time  we  will  find  that  the 
coat  of  paint  has  become  perfectly  dry,  having  been  con¬ 
verted  into  a  hard  film  or  skin.  Now,  how  did  this  dry? 
Not  by  evaporation,  because  by  definition  there  was  nothing 
in  the  paint  to  evaporate;  not  by  absorption,  because  we 
selected  a  non-absorbent  surface  for  our  experiment.  The 
apint  itself  has  become  converted  into  a  solid  film  or  skin 
by  the  chemical  action  of  the  atmosphere.  The  oil  has  be- 


OF  PRINTING  INK 


123 

come  oxidized  or  polymerized,  and  has  become  changed  in 
its  nature  from  a  liquid  into  a  solid.  This  is  the  third  kind 
of  drying,  oxidation  or  polymerization,  and  one  which  is 
very  important  to  the  printer;  in  fact,  it  is  with  the  last 
two  kinds  of  drying  that  the  printer  has  to  do.  The  first 
kind,  evaporation,  plays  little  or  no  role  in  printing,  as 
printing  inks  in  general  contain  little  or  no  volatile  ingre¬ 
dients,  but  oxidation  and  absorption  are  the  two  kinds  of 
drying,  which  either  alone  or  in  conjunction,  are  the  ones 
upon  which  the  drying  of  printing  ink  in  almost  every  case 
entirely  depend. 

According  to  the  class  of  work  for  which  inks  are  in¬ 
tended,  they  must  be  made  to  dry  either  by  absorption  or 
oxidation,  or  by  the  two  combined.  In  the  case  of  printing 
on  newspaper,  or  on  other  very  absorbent  stocks,  it  is 
solely  upon  absorption  that  we  rely.  In  fact,  it  requires  but 
a  moment’s  consideration  to  show  that  no  ink  could  actually 
dry  in  the  almost  infinitesimal  period  of  time  that  elapses 
while  the  paper  travels  through  one  of  our  swiftly-moving 
modern  perfecting  presses.  The  drying  is  therefore  based 
simply  upon  the  absorption  of  the  ink  by  the  paper.  When 
an  ink  for  such  a  press  therefore  does  not  dry  rapidly 
enough,  or  when  it  smuts  the  type  or  angle  bars,  the  printer 
will  know  that  the  cause  is  either  in  the  improper  consis¬ 
tency  of  the  ink,  or  injudicious  selection  of  its  ingredients, 
and  will  not  commit  the  barbarism  of  trying  to  remedy  the 
defect  by  the  addition  of  dryer.  When  it  comes  to  super¬ 
sized  or  calendered  stocks  and  coated  papers,  the  drying  is 
partly  due  to  absorption  and  partly  to  oxidation.  Here, 
however,  we  must  take  in  especial  consideration  the  con¬ 
clusions  that  we  have  arrived  at  regarding  the  consistency 
of  the  ink,  and  also  not  let  ourselves  be  misled,  by  adding 


124 


THE  MANUFACTURE 


dryer  to  an  ink  when  it  is  simply  a  question  of  consistency. 
It  is  always  wise  to  run  the  ink  as  stiff  as  the  stock  will 
possibly  allow.  This  will  give  a  sharper  and  clearer  result 
and  cause  a  minimum  of  trouble  as  far  as  drying  is  concerned. 
This  question  of  drying  in  one  of  its  most  important  phases 
becomes  that  of  offsetting  which  means  simply  that  a  second 
impression  is  produced  where  it  is  not  wanted.  This  causes 
a  great  deal  of  trouble,  and  can  frequently  be  obviated  by 
the  judicious  adjustment  of  the  consistency  of  the  ink  to  the 
paper,  but  there  are  sometimes  antagonistic  factors  that  it 
is  almost  impossible  to  overcome,  as  for  instance  electricity 
in  the  paper.  By  the  action  of  electricity  the  sheets  are 
drawn  together  with  unusual  force,  the  air  between  the 
sheets  being  expelled.  This  air  is  necessary  to  fulfill  a  two¬ 
fold  function;  first,  to  act  as  a  cushion  separating  the  sheets, 
and  second,  to  furnish  the  oxygen  necessary  for  drying  the 
ink.  Such  offsets  may  spoil  the  work  entirely  in  some  cases, 
but  where  the  cause  is  electricity,  or  some  other  factor 
outside  of  the  ink,  it  can  naturally  only  be  remedied  by 
eliminating  that  cause,  whatever  it  may  be.  Again,  there 
are  cases  where  presses  are  old  or  of  poor  construction, 
where  distribution  is  bad,  where  rollers  are  poor,  where 
atmospheric  conditions  are  inimical  to  proper  results,  and 
yet  the  printer  expects  that  the  ink-maker  can  furnish  an 
ink  to  obviate  all  these  difficulties.  He  can  sometimes 
partially  succeed,  but  not  always,  and  surely  if  Printing  Ink 
could  overcome  all  the  defects  of  machinery,  cuts,  and 
type,  deficiencies  in  the  stock,  or  adverse  atmospheric  con¬ 
ditions,  then  progress  in  the  perfection  of  machinery,  repro¬ 
ductive  processes  and  paper  would  have  been  entirely 
unnecessary. 

Another  point  that  we  must  take  up  in  connection  with 


OF  PRINTING  INK 


125 


the  question  of  drying  is  that  of  the  quality  or  intensity  of 
ink.  It  is  self-evident  that  the  smaller  the  quantity  of  ink 
necessarily  applied  to  achieve  a  satisfactorily  intense  effect, 
the  quicker  that  ink  will  dry,  no  matter  whether  the  drying 
in  any  given  case  be  based  upon  absorption  or  upon  oxida¬ 
tion.  When,  however,  too  poor  a  grade  of  ink  is  selected, 
more  ink  will  have  to  be  carried,  a  thicker  film  must  be 
applied  to  the  paper,  and  consequently  that  ink  will  not 
dry  properly.  There  is  therefore  no  economy  in  the  use  of 
too  low  a  grade  of  ink;  not  only  will  the  loss  of  time  be 
greater  than  would  be  balanced  by  the  difference  in  the  cost 
per  pound  of  ink,  but  more  ink  will  be  used  on  the  job.  The 
actual  sum  of  money  paid  for  the  ink  to  do  a  given  quantity 
of  work  will  thus  practically  be  the  same  in  the  case  of  a 
lower  grade  as  in  that  of  a  higher  grade  of  ink,  while  the 
difficulties  ensuing  as  regards  drying  will  still  further  de¬ 
tract  from  any  apparent  economy. 

As  the  third  important  physical  characteristic  of  Print¬ 
ing  Ink,  we  have  taken  Permanency.  That  we  should  have 
placed  the  importance  of  permanency  so  low  in  our  scale 
may  be  surprising,  especially  as  we  have  said  that  it  is  the 
object  of  the  ink  to  produce  a  permanent  record.  This 
question  of  permanency  is  a  muph  mooted  one,  and  a  great 
deal  of  misapprehension  obtains  regarding  it  in  the  minds 
of  printers.  Let  us,  however,  recognize  that  permanency 
plays  a  role  only  in  a  very  small  percentage  of  all  printing. 
The  vast  majority  of  all  printing  is  done  with  black  inks, 
which  are  all  permanent,  and  where  this  question  conse¬ 
quently  does  not  apply.  Of  the  small  percentage  that  then 
remains,  it  is  only  in  such  printing  as  is  exposed  to  the 
direct  and  continuous  action  of  the  sunlight  that  perma¬ 
nency  is  of  real  importance.  A  color  that  would  fade  out  in  a 


126 


THE  MANUFACTURE 


day  or  two  when  exposed  directly  to  the  sun,  retains  its  hue 
and  brilliancy  for  years  when  hung  up  in  a  room,  and  prac¬ 
tically  indefinitely  in  the  pages  of  a  book.  After  deducting 
all  this,  but  a  very  small  percentage  remains,  and  today  the 
question  of  permanency  refers  principally  to  reds  and 
violets,  as  permanent  colors  can  be  produced  in  nearly 
every  other  shade,  and  indeed  in  the  last  few  years  consid¬ 
erable  progress  has  even  been  made  in  regard  to  reds.  In 
considering  the  question  of  permanency,  we  must  first 
thoroughly  comprehend  this:  That  permanency  is  not 
given  to  an  ink  by  adding  an  ingredient  that  makes  the 
color  permanent — that  colors  are  not  made  permanent,  as 
for  instance,  cloth  may  be  made  water-proof  by  a  coating  of 
water-proof  material,  or  subjecting  it  to  a  chemical  process. 
Such  is  not  the  case.  A  permanent  ink  can  be  made  only  by 
selecting  a  pigment  which  is  of  itself  permanent  by  its  own 
intrinsic  nature.  It  therefore  naturally  follows  that  while 
we  may  have  at  the  present  time  a  large  and  varied  selec¬ 
tion  of  permanent  colors,  yet  still  it  is  possible  only  to  make 
permanent  inks  of  such  shades  as  exist  in  those  permanent 
pigments,  and  in  addition  such  shades  as  can  be  produced 
by  combining  or  mixing  those  pigments.  It  must  therefore 
be  understood  that  it  may  not  always  be  possible  to  pro¬ 
duce  any  given  shade  of  ink  in  a  permanent  color,  unless 
there  exist  permanent  colors  out  of  which  we  make  it,  and 
a  permanent  ink  cannot  be  obtained  simply  by  specifying 
that  it  must  be  permanent.  Permanency  is  not  a  question  of 
price,  as  the  cheapest  pigments  we  have  are  absolutely  per¬ 
manent,  while  some  of  the  most  expensive  are  fugitive, 
though  again  there  are  expensive  pigments  that  are  per¬ 
manent  and  cheap  ones  that  are  fugitive.  There  are  pig¬ 
ments  which  are  permanent  and  others  which  are  not, 


OF  PRINTING  INK 


127 


simply  because  it  has  been  so  ordained  by  physical  and 
chemical  laws,  which  cannot  be  juggled  with  or  interfered 
with  simply  to  suit  individual  whims  or  requirements.  As  a 
rule,  it  is  true  that  the  most  brilliant  and  handsome  colors 
are  more  fugitive  than  those  which  are  dull  and  less  bril¬ 
liant.  It  is  therefore  a  special  desideratum  to  obtain  colors 
that  are  at  one  and  at  the  same  time  intense,  brilliant  and 
permanent.  As  science  advances  in  its  onward  path  this  is 
gradually  being  more  and  more  accomplished.  Let  us, 
however,  remember  that  if  the  ink-maker  could  make  every 
possible  shade  of  color  intense,  brilliant,  permanent,  and  at 
the  same  time  cheaply,  that  he  would  hardly  be  so  foolish  as 
to  make  any  other  inks  whatever,  because  there  would  be  no 
reason  for  him  to  produce  high-priced  fugitive  inks  in  dull 
shades,  when  he  could  make  more  desirable  ones  to  cost 
him  less. 

I  have  deemed  it  wise  to  view  the  subject  of  Printing  Ink 
analytically.  We  have  therefore  first  tried  to  define  what 
the  functions  of  printing  ink  are,  secondly  to  give  a  concise 
definition  of  what  printing  ink  is,  thirdly,  what  the  proper¬ 
ties  are  on  which  its  functions  are  based.  The  next  step  will 
therefore  be  to  take  a  bird’s-eye  view  of  its  manufacture,  to 
show  the  methods,  process,  machinery  and  appliances  used 
to  produce  printing  inks  having  the  required  qualifications, 
so  that  having  started  at  the  apex  of  our  pyramid,  we 
gradually  work  down  to  its  base,  and  after  then  having  as 
comprehensive  a  view  as  can  be  compressed  within  a  few 
hours’  study,  we  are  ready  to  discuss  in  detail  such  points 
as  may  arise,  and  which  it  will  then  be  easy  to  understand. 

We  will  therefore  now  examine  into  the  manufacture  of 
Printing  Ink,  which  will  be  more  interesting  and  more 
readily  understandable  from  what  has  gone  before. 


128 


THE  MANUFACTURE 


We  have  previously  said  that  Printing  Ink  consists  of  a 
pigment  ground  into  a  vehicle.  Consequently  the  last  step 
in  the  manufacture  is  this  process  of  grinding,  and  we  shall 
therefore  go  back  step  by  step  until  we  reach  the  very  foun¬ 
dation  of  the  entire  industry.  This  grinding  is  preceded  by 
the  mixing  of  the  pigment  with  the  varnish,  which  is  accom¬ 
plished  in  mixers  of  various  types.  The  mixing  done,  we 
find  we  now  have  a  material  consisting  of  varnish  with 
which  the  pigment  is  more  or  less  intimately  mingled,  the 
whole  being  in  a  coarse  or  grainy  state.  This  mixture  of 
unground  ink  is  now  transferred  to  the  mills,  which  usually 
consist  of  three  horizontal  rollers,  which  we  will  call  the 
middle  roller,  the  rear  roller,  and  the  front  roller.  The 
middle  roller  and  the  rear  roller  revolve  towards  each  other, 
so  that  the  unground  ink  passes  down  between  the  two,  is 
carried  up  again  by  the  middle  roller  to  the  front  roller, 
whence  it  is  scraped  off  by  a  knife  and  falls  into  a  receptacle. 
This  process  is  repeated  time  and  time  again  until  the 
proper  stage  of  fineness  of  grinding  is  reached.  In  a  modern 
plant,  these  rollers  are  made  of  steel,  accurately  turned, 
with  highly  polished  surfaces,  and  capable  of  being  ad¬ 
justed  relatively  to  each  other,  in  accordance  with  the 
consistency  of  the  ink  and  the  stage  of  fineness  which  it  has 
reached.  The  rollers  being  hollow,  are  so  arranged  that 
water  is  allowed  to  flow  through  them  to  keep  them  cool, 
which  increases  the  output  of  the  mill,  at  the  same  time 
preventing  the  ink  from  becoming  overheated,  the  deleter¬ 
ious  effect  of  which  is  frequently  the  cause  of  livery  or 
gummy  inks.  Of  course,  primarily  the  quality  of  an  ink 
depends  upon  the  use  of  suitable  pigments  and  suitable 
varnishes,  whose  proper  proportions  have  been  definitely 
adjusted. 


OF  PRINTING  INK 


129 


The  real  ink-maker  therefore  is  the  one  who  not  only- 
grinds  inks  on  the  mill,  but  who  manufactures  the  varnishes 
and  pigments,  as  only  in  such  a  case  can  he  be  fully  conver¬ 
sant  with  their  ingredients  and  qualifications.  This  con¬ 
stitutes  the  distinction  between  the  ink  manufacturer  and 
the  ink  grinder.  Thus  we  see  that  the  real  manufacturer  of 
Printing  Ink  begins  with  the  production  of  the  varnishes 
and  pigments,  and  a  complete  ink  factory  consequently 
consists  of  three  distinct  plants,  one  for  the  production  of 
varnishes,  one  for  the  manufacture  of  the  pigments,  and 
finally  the  grinding  plant  for  making  the  finished  article. 

In  accordance  with  the  short  description  given  pre¬ 
viously  of  the  manufacture  of  Printing  Ink,  and  the  ma¬ 
terials  of  which  it  is  composed,  we  will  now  take  up  the 
manufacture  of  the  varnishes  used. 

For  the  raw  materials  in  his  varnishes,  the  printing  ink 
manufacturer  draws  principally  upon  the  products  of  the 
vegetable  and  mineral  kingdom,  that  is  to  say,  vegetable 
and  mineral  oils,  rosins,  and  gums  of  various  kinds,  as  well 
as  a  number  of  mineral  salts,  such  as  compounds  of  lead, 
manganese,  and  zinc — these  latter  being  used  in  the  pro¬ 
duction  of  dryers. 

For  the  higher  grades  of  inks  we  have  principally  the 
linseed  oil  varnishes,  made,  as  the  name  implies,  from 
linseed  oil,  which  has  a  number  of  properties  that  make  it 
peculiarly  suitable  for  this  purpose.  Linseed  oil  is  expersed 
from  linseed  or  flaxseed.  Like  other  products  of  nature,  its 
quality  varies  with  its  geographical  origin — the  seed  from 
which  it  is  produced,  the  temperature  and  weather  con¬ 
ditions  existing  during  the  growth  of  the  seeds,  and  methods 
of  its  manufacture.  Linseed  oil  is  converted  into  varnishes 
for  use  in  printing  ink  by  the  following  method : 


130 


THE  MANUFACTURE 


A  copper  kettle  large  enough  to  contain  some  700  or 
800  pounds  of  this  oil  is  filled  to  about  two-thirds  of  its 
capacity.  This  kettle  rests  upon  a  five-wheeled  iron  truck, 
by  means  of  which  it  is  rolled  over  a  furnace  or  fireplace, 
where  the  oil  is  heated  to  about  600  degrees.  An  action 
then  takes  place,  which  though  it  has  been  studied  for  many 
years  is  not  thoroughly  understood.  The  net  result  is, 
however,  that  to  some  extent  the  oil  is  volatilized;  some  of 
the  complex  organic  compounds  are  split  up;  some  oxygen 
is  absorbed  from  the  air  itself;  acrid  elements  pass  off  in 
vapor,  and  the  oil  becomes  gradually  thicker  and  thicker, 
as  well  as  stickier,  while  at  the  same  time  its  drying  proper¬ 
ties  increase. 

According  to  the  length  of  time  during  which  the  process 
is  carried  on,  the  thickness  or  heaviness  of  the  resulting 
product  is  controlled,  and  gives  the  various  degrees  or 
“numbers”  of  consistency  required  for  the  different  kinds 
of  printing  inks,  ranging  from  a  very  thin  varnish,  usually 
known  in  the  trade  as  “OO”  which  is  but  very  slightly 
thicker  than  raw  oil,  up  to  an  extremely  viscous  consistency, 
that  is  perhaps  as  heavy  as  the  softer  grades  of  tar. 

The  manufacture  of  varnish  of  this  class  is  tedious  and 
difficult,  and  requires  constant  supervision.  Should  the  oil 
become  too  hot,  it  will  catch  fire  spontaneously,  while  at  the 
same  time  a  large  quantity  of  highly  obnoxious  odors  are 
evolved,  requiring  a  building  with  a  high  chimney,  and 
arrangements  in  general  of  such  a  nature  as  to  carry  on  the 
process  properly. 

For  some  kinds  of  inks,  as,  for  instance,  Steel-plate 
Engraving  Inks,  the  oil,  when  at  the  right  temperature,  is 
purposely  ignited,  and  allowed  to  burn  for  some  length  of 
time  to  deprive  it  of  some  of  its  greasy  elements.  Simple  as 


OF  PRINTING  INK 


131 

this  process  is,  the  manufacture  of  linseed  oil  varnishes  is 
of  the  utmost  importance  for  the  production  of  good  inks; 
the  quality,  working  properties,  keeping  properties  and 
drying  properties,  are  largely  dependent  upon  the  selection 
of  suitable  grades  of  linseed  oil,  and  upon  a  careful  execution 
of  the  boiling,  while  another  important  feature  is  the  aging 
or  storing  of  the  raw  oil,  for  at  least  a  year,  to  obtain 
suitable  clarification. 

If  during  the  process  of  boiling  the  oil,  metallic  salts  or 
oxides,  such  as  borate  of  manganese,  litharge,  or  red  lead 
be  added  to  the  oil,  the  drying  properties  of  the  oil  are  in¬ 
creased.  In  the  case  of  the  borate  of  manganese,  that  acts 
as  a  carrier  for  the  oxygen  of  the  air  to  the  oil.  In  the  case 
of  oxide  of  manganese  or  of  lead,  the  oxides  are  dissociated, 
giving  up  their  oxygen  to  the  oil,  the  metallic  bases  them¬ 
selves  combining  with  the  linoleic  acid  of  the  oil  to  form 
linoleates.  When  these  additions  are  comparatively  large, 
the  resulting  product  is  called  a  “Dryer,”  because  the  addi¬ 
tion  of  some  of  this  rapidly  drying  oil  or  varnish,  to  a  var¬ 
nish  not  so  treated,  or  to  a  printing  ink,  will  make  them  dry 
more  rapidly.  As  in  the  case  of  the  process  of  making 
varnish  itself,  so  the  theory  of  the  manufacture  of  dryers 
and  the  action  of  dryers  on  varnishes  and  on  printing  ink 
is  somewhat  obscure.  Therefore,  the  chemist  intead  of 
giving  an  explanation  falls  back  upon  a  definition,  and  says 
the  action  is  largley  “catalytic,”  by  which  is  meant  that 
the  mere  presence  of  these  oxides  or  their  metallic  com¬ 
pounds,  appears  to  make  the  varnish  or  ink  dry  more 
rapidly,  the  probability  being  that  they  act  as  carriers  or 
brokers  for  the  oxygen  of  the  air,  which  they  rapidly  absorb, 
and  again  give  up  to  the  varnish  itself,  or  the  varnish  of  the 
ink,  as  the  case  may  be. 


i32 


THE  MANUFACTURE 


In  addition  to  linseed  varnishes,  there  is  occasionally 
use  for  varnishes  made  of  other  vegetable  oils,  such  as 
poppy  seed  oil,  rape  seed  oil,  and  of  late  years  a  number  of 
new  oils  which  come  from  China  and  Japan,  known  as  wood 
oils.  These  oils  are  either  used  alone,  or  some  times  in 
combination  with  rosins  or  gums,  such  as  copal,  damar, 
or  even  amber. 

The  second  important  class  of  varnishes  are  the  resin 
or  rosin  varnishes,  made  from  the  common  rosin  of  com¬ 
merce,  obtained  from  the  trees  of  the  pine  family,  which  is 
too  well  known  to  require  any  description.  The  rosin  is 
placed  in  enormous  cast-iron  stills,  having  a  capacity  ranging 
from  five  to  ten  tons,  encased  in  a  brick  furnace,  where  it  is 
subjected  to  the  heat,  resulting  in  a  process  of  destructive 
or  fractional  distillation.  The  volatile  products  pass  through 
a  condenser,  which  is  a  copper  worm  or  spiral  pipe  inside 
of  a  large  tank  filled  with  water.  Some  of  the  gases  or  vapors 
cannot  be  recondensed,  and  are  led  away  in  the  form  of  gas; 
the  other  vapors  are  condensed  or  liquefied  in  the  worm  and 
caught  in  suitable  receptacles,  the  products  continuously 
varying  as  the  process  proceeds,  and  as  the  temperature 
of  the  material  even  in  the  still  increases.  The  first  fractions 
received  consist  of  water;  then  water  mixed  with  rosin 
acids,  or  naphthas,  and  finally  come  the  rosin  oils  them¬ 
selves —  the  products  used  in  the  manufacture  of  Printing 
Inks. 

As  one  distillation,  however,  is  not  sufficient  to  separate 
the  evil-smelling  and  deleterious  naphthas  and  acids,  the 
process  must  be  repeated  again  and  again,  until  the  proper 
degree  of  rectification  or  refinement  is  attained.  The 
cheapest  grades  of  inks  of  some  manufacturers  are  made  from 
crude  oil  not  suitably  refined,  they  therefore  possess  an 


OF  PRINTING  INK 


133 


obnoxious  odor,  are  deleterious  to  the  rollers,  type  and 
plates,  do  not  work  freely,  are  apt  to  clog  up  on  the  press, 
and  are  easily  rubbed  from  the  surface  of  the  paper.  Here 
again  the  quality  of  the  resulting  inks  is  dependent  upon 
the  selection  of  suitable  grades  of  rosin,  and  a  careful  and 
proper  supervision  of  the  process  of  distillation.  The  rosin 
varnishes  are  not  only  cheaper  to  manufacture  than  the 
linseed  oil  varnishes,  but  are  used  in  some  grades  of  printing 
inks  because  they  are  better  for  the  inks  required  for  certain 
purposes.  Inks  produced  from  rosin  varnishes  dry  more 
by  absorption  than  by  oxidation,  and  are  therefore  suitable 
for  such  classes  of  inks,  the  drying  of  which  depends  upon 
a  combination  of  the  two  kinds  of  drying. 

There  is  a  third  class  of  varnishes,  which  are  combin¬ 
ations  of  rosin  and  rosin  oils,  with  various  grades  of  mineral 
oils,  which  are  very  suitable  for  some  grades  of  work.  The 
drying  of  such  varnishes  is  dependent  entirely  upon  the 
absorption. 

We  next  come  to  the  pigments  or  colors,  which  are  com¬ 
bined  or  ground  into  the  varnishes  or  vehicles,  to  form  our 
ultimate  product — Printing  Ink. 

The  first  or  more  important  color  or  pigment  is  black, 
used  for  the  manufacture  of  black  inks.  As  a  rule,  blacks 
are  not  made  today  by  the  ink  manufacturer,  but  in  special 
factories,  for  obvious  reasons,  which  will  be  seen  later.  In 
black  Printing  Inks  the  finish  or  lustre  depends  largely 
upon  the  origin  and  the  grade  of  dry  black  used.  Though  all 
blacks  are  the  element  of  carbon  itself  in  a  more  or  less  pure 
form,  they  vary  greatly  according  to  their  origin,  and  are 
distinguished  in  commerce  as  carbon  blacks,  lamp  blacks, 
bone  blacks,  ivory  blacks,  vine  blacks,  etc.  The  principal 
black  used  at  the  present  time  is  the  so-called  carbon  black, 


134 


THE  MANUFACTURE 


which  is  made  by  the  imperfect  combustion  of  natural  gas 
by  means  of  special  apparatus.  The  gas,  burning  with  a 
smoky  flame,  deposits  its  soot  upon  a  revolving  roller  or 
plate,  as  the  case  may  be,  whence  it  is  scraped  off  in  the 
form  of  the  required  product. 

It  is  claimed  that  about  2,000  cubic  feet  of  gas  are 
required  to  produce  a  pound  of  black.  The  very  lowest 
grades  of  these  blacks  are  sold  today  in  the  neighborhood 
of  seven  or  eight  cents  a  pound,  so  that  it  will  be  readily 
seen  that  it  is  only  possible  to  manufacture  this  black  where 
the  natural  gas  is  obtained  in  sufficient  quantities  at  a  geo¬ 
graphical  location  which  will  not  permit  of  its  use  for  any 
other  purposes.  It  is,  furthermore,  claimed  that  natural 
gas  is  becoming  scarcer,  and  that  in  the  course  of  time  the 
Printing  Ink  industry  will  be  unable  to  obtain  carbon  black 
at  such  a  price  as  to  make  it  possible  to  use  it  commercially. 

The  carbon  blacks  vary  in  blackness,  in  their  intensity, 
in  their  shade,  and  in  their  working  properties,  when  com¬ 
bined  with  varnishes  to  produce  printing  inks,  and  careful 
selection  and  tests  are  necessary  in  order  to  produce  a 
printing  ink  having  the  desired  qualifications  for  any  given 
purpose. 

Lamp  blacks  are  made  by  burning  various  oils  or  other 
materials  containing  a  high  percentage  of  carbon  in  tunnel¬ 
like  buildings,  called  black  houses.  The  other  blacks,  such 
as  ivory  blacks,  vine  blacks,  etc.  mentioned  above  are  man¬ 
ufactured  by  converting  the  raw  materials— grape  vines, 
ivory,  etc. — into  a  fine  or  high  grade  of  charcoal.  These 
blacks  are  used  in  the  manufacture  of  Plate  Inks. 

For  Colored  Inks  a  large  range  of  various  pigments  is 
required.  We  draw  upon  the  mineral  kingdom,  the  vege¬ 
table  kingdom,  and  even  the  animal  kingdom. 


OF  PRINTING  INK 


135 

Taking  the  least  important  first  we  have  such  colors  as 
carmines,  made  from  the  cochineal  bug,  indian  yellow,  made 
from  camels’  dung,  sepia  from  the  ink  sac  of  the  ink-fish, 
and  various  colors  from  the  extracts  of  plants  and  woods. 
All  these  we  can  pass  over,  as  they  are  of  comparatively 
little  significance  today. 

A  rather  important  group  are  colors  of  direct  mineral 
origin,  such  as  various  earths,  siennas,  umbers  and  ochres, 
which  are  mined,  roasted,  ground,  lixiviated,  and  otherwise 
prepared  in  suitable  form.  These  colors  are  very  permanent, 
and  comparatively  cheap,  but  have  not  very  good  printing 
properties.  This  brings  us  directly  to  a  very  important 
point,  and  you  would  no  doubt  very  much  like  to  be  in¬ 
formed  upon  what  the  printing  properties  of  a  color  are 
based,  and  greatly  as  I  would  like  to  give  you  this  informa¬ 
tion,  I  am  unable  to  do  so.  It  is  not  based  upon  any  phy¬ 
sical  or  chemical  properties  that  we  can  discover;  it  is  not 
upon  the  specific  gravity  of  the  color,  though  as  a  rule  very 
heavy  colors  do  not  print  well.  To  this  vermilion  is,  how¬ 
ever,  an  important  exception.  It  is  not  dependent  upon  the 
lightness  of  a  color;  in  fact,  not,  indeed,  as  stated  above, 
upon  any  physical  or  chemical  property  that  we  can  grasp, 
and  in  this  respect  we  must  simply  be  guided  by  experience. 
Colors  of  an  amorphous  nature,  each  particle  of  which  we 
can  consider  a  little  sphere  or  ball  (such  colors  being  gen¬ 
erally  produced  by  precipitation  out  of  a  solution),  are  as 
a  rule  better  printing,  while  colors  of  a  crystalline  structure, 
as,  for  instance,  minerals  ground  or  crushed,  do  not,  in 
general,  print  as  well.  In  some  colors  the  chemical  nature 
must  be  given  consideration.  Vermilion,  for  instance,  a 
sulphide  of  mercury,  is  readily  decomposed  by  copper  plates, 
or  the  metal  of  type.  The  sulphur  combines  with  these 


THE  MANUFACTURE 


136 

metals,  producing  a  black  sulphide,  spoiling  the  appearance 
of  the  color,  and  having  a  corrosive  and  destructive  action 
upon  the  type  and  plates.  Yet  when  vermilion  is  added  in 
not  too  great  a  proportion,  it  produces  an  excellent  ink  and 
good  covering  ink.  The  same  holds  true  of  ultramarine. 

With  the  exception  of  the  earth  colors,  all  other  pig¬ 
ments  fall  into  two  general  divisions,  which  I  call  chemical 
colors,  and  the  so-called  lakes.  The  chemical  colors  are 
produced  by  the  action  of  one  chemical  upon  another,  that 
is  to  say,  two  or  more  chemicals  are  dissolved  separately, 
and  when  the  solutions  are  mixed,  an  insoluble  precipitate 
is  formed.  In  this  group,  we  have  such  colors  as  chrome 
yellows,  ferro-cyanide  blues,  like  Milori  blue,  Prussian  blue, 
Bronze  blue,  Chinese  blue,  Antwerp  blue,  Paris  blue,  Berlin 
blue,  etc. 

The  process  is  somewhat  as  follows:  For  instance,  in  the 
case  of  chrome  yellow,  a  solution  of  a  lead  salt — in  general 
sugar  of  lead,  chemically  known  as  acetate  of  lead,  is  pre¬ 
pared  in  a  wooden  tank.  In  a  separate  tank  there  is  made 
a  solution  of  bichromate  of  potash  and  sulphuric  acid.  The 
bichromate  solution  is  allowed  to  run  into  the  lead  solution, 
and  forms  a  precipitate  consisting  of  chromate  and  sulphate 
of  lead,  or  the  chrome  yellow  of  commerce,  whose  shade  is 
dependent  upon  the  relative  proportions  of  bichromate  of 
potash,  sulphuric  acid,  and  sugar  of  lead.  All  the  other 
chemical  colors  referred  to  are  made  in  a  somewhat  similar 
manner. 

The  making  of  ultramarine  is  a  distinct  manufacture 
by  itself,  by  means  of  which  there  is  artificially  produced 
a  blue  similar  in  every  respect  to  the  blue  coloring  matter 
of  the  lapis  lazuli.  Ultramarine  blue  has  many  important 
properties  making  it  valuable  for  printing  inks,  being  abso- 


OF  PRINTING  INK 


137 

lutely  permanent  and  alkali-proof,  but  in  general  it  does  not 
print  very  well,  and  is  rapidly  being  supplanted  by  other 
permanent  blue  colors. 

The  principal  colors  used  today  in  the  manufacture  of 
printing  inks  are  lakes,  mostly  made  from  coal  tar  deriva¬ 
tives,  usually  incorrectly  grouped  as  anilines.  In  this  class 
we  now  have  an  enormous  range  of  excellent  products. 

Through  the  great  progress  made  in  chemistry  in  recent 
years,  it  is  possible  to  make  lakes  of  the  greatest  possible 
strength  and  permanency,  together  with  a  brilliancy  of 
shade,  which  was  for  many  years  an  ideal  earnestly  striven 
for,  but  apparently  impossible  to  accomplish. 

The  term  “lake”  is  one  which  is  very  loosely  used,  and 
no  two  authorities  agree  upon  its  proper  definition.  I  apply 
it  here  to  pigments  made  by  precipitating  water-soluble 
dyes  upon  a  suitable  substratum  or  base.  The  quality  of  the 
resulting  pigment  depends  upon  the  nature  of  that  base, 
the  nature  and  quality  of  the  dye  used,  and  the  percentage 
of  dye  in  proportion  to  the  base.  Generally  speaking  the 
manufacture  is  carried  on  as  follows: 

Taking  a  typical  geranium  lake,  for  instance:  into  a 
large  wooden  vat  is  run  a  solution  of  either  alum  or  sulphate 
of  alumina;  into  this  solution  is  run  another  one  of  carbonate 
of  soda.  Through  double  decomposition,  they  form  the 
insoluble  hydrate  of  alumina  with  the  escape  of  carbonic 
acid  gas,  while  in  the  solution  remain  sulphate  of  soda  and 
any  excess  that  may  have  been  present  of  one  or  the  other 
chemicals  used.  In  view  of  subsequent  operations,  it  is 
necessary  to  remove  the  sulphate  of  soda  remaining  in  the 
mother-liquid,  which  is  done  by  allowing  the  precipitate  to 
settle  to  the  bottom,  the  supernatant  fluid  being  drawn  off, 
and  the  tank  refilled.  This  settling  and  washing  is  repeated 


THE  MANUFACTURE 


138 

until  all  the  sulphate  of  soda  has  been  removed.  We  now 
have  in  the  tank  the  clean  and  washed  hydrate  of  alumina, 
into  which  is  now  poured  a  solution  of  eosine  in  water, 
followed  by  a  solution  of  acetate  of  lead,  whose  quantity  is 
so  calculated  as  just  exactly  to  precipitate  the  eosine.  We 
thus  fix  insolubly  upon  the  alumina  base  the  eosine  salt  of 
lead,  forming  an  insoluble  red  pigment,  known  in  the  trade 
as  geranium  lake.  This  precipated  lake  is  then  washed  and 
rewashed,  as  in  the  case  of  the  base  itself,  and  finally  there 
is  left  in  the  tank  a  thickish  liquid  consisting  perhaps  of 
15%  to  20%  of  the  lake,  and  the  remainder  water.  This 
liquid  is  then  pumped  through  a  filter  press,  an  arrangement 
which  expresses  a  large  proportion  of  water,  leaving  behind 
the  wet  pulp,  consisting  of  perhaps  50%  of  the  dry  color, 
and  50%  of  water.  This  wet  pulp,  or  rather  cake,  is  now 
placed  upon  trays,  and  removed  to  a  drying  room  or  kiln, 
where  it  is  allowed  to  dry  gradually  at  a  temperature  of 
135  to  150  degrees.  When  thoroughly  dry,  the  “geranium 
lake,”  after  being  pulverized,  is  ready  to  grind  into  varnish 
to  form  printing  ink. 

Had  the  sulphate  of  soda  formed  in  the  first  operation 
not  been  eliminated,  the  finished  color  would  have  also 
contained  sulphate  of  lead,  diluting  its  intensity  and  im¬ 
pairing  its  quality. 

Other  dyes  are  precipitated  by  means  of  other  metallic 
salts,  as  for  instance,  scarlets  may  be  precipitated  either  by 
lead  or  by  barium,  basic  dyes  by  means  of  tannic  acid,  etc. 
In  fact,  the  various  groups  of  artificial  coloring  matters 
are  each  precipitated  by  their  proper  agent.  Of  late  there 
are  a  number  of  new  dye  stuffs  which  appear  in  the  market 
in  an  undeveloped  form,  i.  e.,  colorless,  and  which  in  the 
manufacture  of  lakes  are  developed  or  diazotized  into  color 


OF  PRINTING  INK 


139 


producing  bodies.  To  this  group,  for  instance,  belong  the 
paranitraniline  colors,  a  very  permanent  and  important 
series.  Other  bases  may  also  be  used,  as,  for  instance,  blanc 
fixe,  or  sulphate  of  barium,  also  a  combination  of  blanc 
fixe  and  alumina  hydrate,  known  as  gloss  white.  Indeed,  as 
is  readily  seen,  there  is  a  wide  range  for  choice  in  various 
directions,  and  as  the  artificial  dye  stuffs  are  found  in  a  wide 
range  of  reds,  blues,  browns,  greens,  violets,  etc.,  there  is 
practically  an  endless  variety  of  shades  and  qualities. 

We  have  now  practically  exhausted  the  manufacture  of 
the  principal  ingredients  used  in  Printing  Inks,  i.  e.,  var¬ 
nishes  and  pigments,  and  have  already  seen  how  by  grinding 
the  pigment  in  the  varnish  on  mills,  the  ultimate  product, 
Printing  Ink,  is  produced. 

We  shall  now  concisely  describe  and  explain  some  of  the 
characteristics  of  inks  used  for  various  purposes  and  their 
necessary  qualifications.  The  question  of  permanency  we 
have  already  taken  up.  Black  Inks  range  in  quality  from 
the  cheapest  grade — News  Ink,  up  to  the  highest  grade  of 
Black  Ink,  such  as  is  used  by  engravers  in  proving  their 
cuts  and  plates  while  in  between  these  two  grades  are  those 
known  as  Book  Inks,  Cut  Inks,  Half-tone  Inks,  etc.  These 
grades  are  not  sharply  defined,  but  gradually  merge  into 
each  other,  for  each  ink  must  be  made  in  accordance  with 
its  intended  purpose.  Its  necessary  qualifications  include 
the  proper  adjustment  of  its  consistency  and  drying  pro¬ 
perties,  the  intensity  or  depth  of  color  suitable  for  its  work, 
and  the  fineness  of  grinding  in  accordance  therewith. 

According  to  the  class  of  work,  the  ink  must  dry  within 
a  definite  period  of  time,  and  then  must  not  rub  off.  For 
fine  half-tone  work  it  must  be  of  an  intense  black  shade, 
and  show  every  detail  of  the  half-tone,  with  its  numberless 


140 


THE  MANUFACTURE 


dots  to  the  square  inch,  while  its  consistency  must  be  such 
as  not  to  tear  or  pick  the  delicate  surface  of  the  coated  paper 
on  which  it  is  usually  used;  at  the  same  time  it  must  print 
all  the  type  work  and  solids  clearly  and  sharply.  Both  in 
Black  and  Colored  Inks  we  have  considered  especially  only 
such  as  are  intended  for  typographic  use,  but  another  large 
class  are  the  inks  for  lithographic  work.  These  inks  are 
of  much  heavier  consistency,  and  must  be  made  in  con¬ 
formity  with  the  lithographic  process,  which,  in  distinction 
to  typographic  work,  is  not  done  from  a  raised  surface,  but 
from  a  practically  plane  surface.  On  this  plane  surface  of 
stone  or  metal  is  a  design  which  has  been  so  treated  that 
it  has  an  affinity  for  the  greasy  ink,  while  the  rest  of  the 
surface  is  kept  wetted  with  water  during  the  printing  pro¬ 
cess,  and  repels  the  greasy  ink.  But  we  will  not  go  into  the 
lithographic  inks  in  detail,  our  attention  being  concen¬ 
trated  principally  on  printing  inks  proper,  or  typographic 
inks;  nor  do  we  go  into  the  various  other  processes  of 
printing. 

Black  inks  are  also  to  some  extent  classified  according 
to  the  papers  on  which  they  are  used,  as  for  instance,  inks 
for  bond  paper,  inks  for  glazed  papers,  inks  for  parchment 
papers;  while,  again  the  inks  intended  to  be  used  for  com¬ 
paratively  small  jobs  on  job  or  platen  presses,  are  of  a 
heavier  consistency  than  those  used  on  cylinder  presses, 
and  are  classed  as  Job  Inks.  The  inks  for  Rotary  Presses 
are  of  the  softest  consistency  of  all,  and  go  under  the  name 
of  Rotary  Press  Inks. 

In  Colored  Inks,  as  will  have  been  seen  from  the  refer¬ 
ence  to  the  endless  variety  of  pigments,  the  choice  is  almost 
infinite.  The  cheapest  grade  of  colored  inks  are  Poster  Inks. 
To  fulfill  their  purpose  properly,  they  should  have  a  great 


OF  PRINTING  INK 


141 

degree  of  permanency;  often,  indeed,  be  absolutely  perma¬ 
nent  and  they  must  be  very  water-proof  to  stand  the  results 
of  wet  weather.  For  general  work  in  colors  where  perma¬ 
nency  is  not  the  first  consideration,  there  is  a  wide  choice  in 
shades,  and  a  large  selection  of  qualities  according  to 
requirements.  Then  there  are  such  specialties  as  metallic 
inks,  the  basis  of  which  is  metal  in  impalpably  fine  powder, 
used  as  a  pigment.  These  are  used  to  produce  gold  and 
silver  effects  in  one  impression  to  obviate  the  necessary  use 
of  bronze  and  size.  Copyable  Inks  are  produced  by  dissolv¬ 
ing  aniline  dyes  in  a  water-soluble  varnish,  if  it  may  be  so 
called,  and  are  used  to  print  forms  or  blanks  which  can  be 
copied  the  same  as  writing  done  with  copyable  writing  ink. 
Safety  and  Fugitive  Inks  and  Sympathetic  Inks  are  spec¬ 
ialties  of  various  kinds  to  safeguard  ticket  forms,  etc.,  from 
forgery  and  alteration,  used  also  on  bank  checks  and  work 
of  that  class.  Frequently,  the  use  to  which  the  resulting 
printed  matter  is  put  dictates  the  nature  of  the  ink  neces¬ 
sarily  used,  as  for  instance  unless  the  inks  used  on  soap 
wrappers  were  alkali-proof,  the  printing  would  quickly 
disappear,  or  the  soap  might  be  stained.  On  paper  used  for 
wrapping  butter,  the  ink  must  be  of  such  a  nature  as  not  to 
be  attacked  by  brine  or  to  discolor  the  butter.  On  paper 
used  for  wrapping  silverware  the  ink  (and  also  the  paper) 
must  contain  no  ingredients  which  would  tarnish  the 
silverware. 

Every  day  there  are  new  demands  for  printing  inks  for 
all  kinds  of  purposes:  to  print  on  metal,  to  print  on  glass, 
to  print  on  celluloid,  on  leather,  and,  in  short,  there  is 
apparently  no  limit  to  the  materials  upon  which  it  is  de¬ 
sired  to  print,  and  it  is  the  ink-maker’s  constant  study  to 
fulfill  such  requirements  satisfactorily. 


142 


THE  MANUFACTURE 


In  this  country  inks  were  originally  imported  from 
Europe.  Today  American  inks  are  exported  to  every  quar¬ 
ter  of  the  globe,  and  it  is  therefore  in  the  American  ink- 
maker’s  province  to  study  the  varying  requirements  in  the 
various  countries,  whose  climates  and  temperatures  dictate 
important  differences  in  consistency  and  drying  qualities. 
As  an  illustration  of  the  problems  presented  to  the  ink- 
maker,  there  was  recently  a  demand  for  a  black  ink  that 
could  be  printed  on  a  cheap  grade  of  paper,  and  which 
would  entirely  fade  out  within  a  few  weeks.  It  seems  that  a 
certain  concern  publishes  reports  of  legal  decisions  which  it 
issues  in  a  cheap  edition  from  week  to  week,  and  at  the  end 
of  each  year,  the  subscriber  receives  a  duplicate  on  better 
paper  in  bound  form.  The  cheaper  edition  is  to  some  extent 
gathered  up  by  other  parties,  and  resold,  although  this  is 
contrary  to  the  contracts  with  the  subscribers.  To  prevent 
this  interference  with  their  business,  the  firm  in  question 
was  desirous  of  getting  an  ink,  as  just  stated,  which  would 
fade  out  within  a  few  weeks,  thus  making  their  cheap 
edition  valueless  after  being  read  by  their  subscribers. 
This  one  of  the  few  cases  where  it  has  been  so  far  impos¬ 
sible  to  supply  the  demand. 

In  a  former  part  of  this  chapter,  it  was  stated  that  the 
varnish  acts  solely  as  a  carrier  for  the  pigment,  while  the 
pigment  is  there  for  the  purpose  of  making  the  impression 
visible.  This  was  entirely  true  until  a  few  years  ago,  and  to 
the  greater  part  is  true  today,  but  within  recent  years  an 
entirely  new  class  of  inks  has  been  produced  known  as 
Doubletone  Inks,  which  are  quite  revolutionary  in  their 
nature,  in  so  far  as  the  varnish  itself  is  also  colored.  By 
means  of  these  Doubletone  Inks  many  beautiful  effects  are 
produced,  giving  the  same  result  as  can  otherwise  be  ob- 


OF  PRINTING  INK 


143 


tained  only  in  two  or  three  impressions,  as  the  secondary  or 
doubletone  of  the  ink  produces  a  secondary  shade  in  juxta¬ 
position  to  the  shade  of  the  pigment  itself. 

While  for  all  interested  in  the  subject  of  printing  it  is 
necessary  and  desirable  to  have  an  insight  into  the  manu¬ 
facture  and  nature  of  printing  inks,  the  practical  printer  as  a 
rule  is  little  interested  in  chemical  formulae  or  methods  of 
manufacture.  From  his  standpoint,  inks — black  and  colored 
— might  better  be  classified  according  to  their  advantages 
and  drawbacks.  Not  every  pigment  is  fit  to  print  with. 
It  is  not  a  question  of  the  intrinsic  value,  for  ground  dia¬ 
monds  would  make  just  as  poor  an  ink  as  coal  dust.  We 
have  seen  before  it  is  not  a  question  of  specific  gravity.  A 
printer  can  not  judge  the  quality  of  ink  by  its  comparative 
weight,  by  looking  at  it,  or  by  smelling  it.  As  far  as  the 
quality  of  a  color  is  concerned,  there  is  no  way  of  telling  it 
except  to  try  it  practically,  and  thus  in  the  course  of  years 
the  ink-maker  enriches  his  collection  of  colors  which  have 
been  tried  and  proven  good. 

In  addition,  as  has  been  shown,  various  classes  of  work 
require  diametrically  opposite  qualities  in  an  ink,  and  what 
is  exactly  suitable  in  one  case,  is  just  what  would  be  useless 
in  the  other.  We  therefore  require  a  wide  range  of  pigments, 
some  of  which  have  one  salient  characteristic  and  some 
another.  What  a  certain  pigment  lacks  in  one  direction  it 
may  make  up  for  by  some  important  advantage  in  another. 
Absolute  perfection  no  more  exists  in  pigments,  nor  can  be 
expected  in  them,  than  anything  else  in  this  world  of  ours. 
Therefore,  it  is  readily  foreseen  that  not  all  colors  work 
equally  well,  and  at  the  same  time  possess  every  valuable 
or  desirable  property. 

Roughly  speaking,  colors  may  be  divided  into  body 


144 


THE  MANUFACTURE 


colors  and  lakes,  but  better  designations  would  be  opaque 
colors  and  transparent  colors,  as  I  have  defined  the  term 
“lake”  differently.  By  an  opaque  color,  I  mean  one  which, 
when  printed,  shows  practically  the  same  shade  no  matter 
what  the  color  of  the  paper  on  which  it  is  used,  as,  for  in¬ 
stance,  vermilion  is  orange-red  on  white  paper,  and  also  on 
green  or  on  blue  papers,  that  is  to  say  vermillion  is  opaque. 
The  extensive  use  of  dark  colored  cover  papers  in  recent 
years  has  drawn  greatly  upon  the  ingenuity  of  the  ink-maker 
for  inks  in  every  possible  shade  belonging  to  these  classes. 

If,  however,  we  print  a  geranium  lake  on  a  blue  paper, 
the  blue  shade  of  the  paper  will  shine  through  and  mingle 
with  the  red  color  of  the  ink,  and  appear  violet.  The  ger¬ 
anium  lake  is  transparent,  and  transparent  colors  therefore 
have  their  use  where  we  wish  to  obtain  certain  effects  by  the 
mingling  of  colors,  where  they  overlap  each  other,  as  for 
instance,  in  three-color  process  work.  A  lake  would  be  use¬ 
less  for  printing  on  dark  colored  cover  paper,  and  a  body 
color  would  be  useless  in  three-color  work.  Of  course,  there 
are  many  pigments  whose  character  lies  somewhere  between 
the  two  extremes  of  opacity  and  transparency,  and  these  in 
general  are  the  most  useful  ones.  As  a  rule,  opaque  colors 
are  heavy,  and  transparent  colors  light,  but  this  does  not 
always  hold  true,  for  dry  black,  which  is  practically  the 
most  opaque  of  all  pigments,  in  some  cases  weighs  as  little 
as  15  to  20  pounds  to  a  flour  barrel;  the  same  container 
filled  with  vermillion,  or  with  cremnitz  white,  which  are 
also  very  opaque  would  weigh  600  to  700  pounds. 

Some  pigments  are  used  on  account  of  their  perman¬ 
ency,  even  though  they  may  have  slight  defects  in  some 
other  directions,  as  for  instance,  dullness;  others,  even 
though  they  be  lacking  in  permanency,  may  be  used  be- 


OF  PRINTING  INK  145 

cause  of  their  brilliancy,  which  can  not  be  duplicated  by 
other  pigments. 

Thus  it  is  seen  that  we  are  limited  to  the  materials  at  our 
command,  whose  character  can  not  be  changed  because 
someone  would  like  to  have  it  done.  If  a  certain  shade  exists 
only  in  a  fugitive  color,  it  can  not  be  made  permanent 
because  someone  would  like  to  have  it  so.  Then,  of  course, 
prices  come  into  consideration.  Printers  have  been  heard  to 
say  that  they  require  inks  to  do  thus  and  so,  but  can  not 
afford  to  pay  more  than  so  much.  A  man  afflicted  with  a 
mortal  illness,  whose  only  cure,  let  us  say,  would  consist  in 
a  certain  drug  worth  $12.00  an  ounce  might  just  as  well  say 
he  can  not  afford  anything  more  expensive  than  Seidlitz 
Powders.  He  will  either  have  to  get  the  right  medicine 
or  die. 

What  the  printer  really  means  when  he  tries  to  explain 
the  kind  of  inks  he  wants  is  often  difficult  to  comprehend. 
I  have  heard  a  printer  say,  “I  want  a  red  exactly  like  the 
blue  I  had  last  week.”  He  may  have  known  what  he  wanted, 
but  nobody  else  did. 

In  European  countries  the  methods  of  buying  and  selling 
inks  are  different  than  those  which  obtain  here.  Abroad, 
the  ink-maker  has  his  catalogs  and  specimen  books,  and 
the  printer  orders  according  to  his  own  judgment.  Should 
he  perchance  complain  that  the  ink  is  too  soft  or  too  slow- 
drying,  or  what  not,  he  will  simply  be  told  that  he  has  made 
a  mistake  in  his  selection.  Here,  on  the  other  hand,  the 
printer  states  his  requirements  and  expects  to  get  his  ink 
accordingly.  It  is  true  that  this  system  has  greatly  induced 
progress  in  ink  manufacture,  and  I  would  not  for  a 
moment  decry  it,  yet,  on  the  other  hand,  it  has  made  the 
printer  more  and  more  dependent  upon  the  ink-maker,  has 


THE  MANUFACTURE 


146 

led  him  to  neglect  the  study  of  inks  as  entirely  superfluous, 
and  is  apt  to  render  him  quite  helpless  in  the  numerous 
emergencies  that  may  arise.  Where  a  printer  knows  enough 
about  inks  (we  refer  here  to  practical  press-room  knowledge), 
he  can  frequently  manipulate  a  refractory  ink  so  as  to  make 
it  work  to  perfection,  and  save  much  time  and  stock  other¬ 
wise  wasted.  It  should  not  be  forgotten  that  it  is  not  always 
a  question  of  the  intrinsic  value  of  the  materials  or  even 
their  quality  that  makes  an  ink  good  or  bad,  but  its  adapt¬ 
ability  to  its  intended  purpose.  A  mere  trifle  of  reducer  or 
varnish  of  the  proper  kind  may  often  work  wonders. 

Neither  must  it  be  thought  that  simply  by  paying  a  high 
enough  price  for  ink  can  it  be  made  to  do  impossibilities. 
Sometimes  a  printer  imagines  that  he  can  use  a  cheaper 
paper  and  make  his  job  come  up  to  the  required  standard 
by  paying  more  for  his  ink,  but  alas,  nature  has  so  arranged 
it  that  cheap  papers  require  low-grade  inks,  and  good  stock 
high-grade  inks.  Fine  job  black  is  just  as  bad  for  newspapers 
as  news  ink  is  for  bond  papers. 

All  those  whose  vocation  requires  the  use  of  Printing 
Ink,  and  especially  those  who  have  to  use  it  practically, 
should  study  their  printing  inks  on  the  press,  and  in  case 
they  can  not  learn  to  overcome  those  difficulties  that  may 
arise,  they  should  at  least  learn  to  explain  their  troubles 
intelligently,  so  that  the  ink-maker  can  find  the  proper 
remedy,  and  thus  let  every  difficulty  that  arises  help  them 
to  overcome  others  in  the  future.  It  is  by  overcoming 
difficulties  that  we  advance  towards  perfection,  and  this 
is  true  of  the  printer  in  the  use  of  Printing  Ink,  and  the 
printing  ink  maker  in  the  making  of  ink. 


PRACTICAL  USE  OF  PRINTING  INKS 


Explanation  of  Terms.  As  many  of  the  technical  terms 
used  to  describe  the  properties  of  pigments  and  inks  are 
frequently  used  in  a  confusing  and  indefinite  way,  the 
following  explanation  of  terms  may  be  of  assistance. 

Hue.  As  the  normal  spectrum  colors  merge  into  each 
other,  we  have  a  condition  in  which  one  color  has  a  slight 
mixture  of  the  other  in  it,  and  this  slight  mixture  gives  to  the 
predominating  color  what  is  called  a  hue.  Thus,  if  we  have 
red  slightly  tinged  with  violet,  this  is  called  red  of  violet 
hue.  On  the  other  hand — that  is,  if  a  slight  amount  of  red 
tinges  the  violet — the  result  is  a  violet  of  red  hue.  Green 
in  passing  into  blue  gives  us,  first,  a  green  of  blue  hue, 
and  then  a  blue  of  green  hue,  as  first  the  one  and  then 
the  other  predominates. 

In  speaking  of  pigments,  this  can  be  carried  further  to 
mean  that  when  two  pigments  are  mixed  to  produce  a  new 
color,  and  the  color  of  one  pigment  predominates  in  the 
mixture,  the  resultant  color  will  have  the  hue  of  the  pre¬ 
dominating  pigment.  Thus,  when  yellow  predominates  in 
a  mixture  of  yellow  and  blue,  we  get  a  green  of  yellow 
hue,  and  if  the  blue  predominates  we  get  a  green  of  blue 
hue. 

Tint.  When  a  normal  spectrum  color  or  hue  of  that 
color  is  mixed  with  white,  we  get  a  gradation  of  that  color 
lighter  in  appearance,  and  this  is  called  a  tint  of  the  original 
color.  In  speaking  of  pigments,  a  tint  means  a  pigment 
lightened  by  the  mixture  of  white.  The  white  may  be 


PRACTICAL  USE 


148 

added  as  a  pigment,  or  if  the  tint  is  found  by  use  of  trans¬ 
parent  pigments  and  vehicle,  the  white  is  reflected  through 
from  the  paper  upon  which  the  tint  is  laid. 

Shade.  When  a  normal  spectrum  color,  or  one  of  its 
hues,  is  mixed  with  a  small  amount  of  black  or  other  neutral 
dark  color,  we  get  a  gradation  of  that  color  darker  in  ap¬ 
pearance  than  the  original.  This  is  called  a  shade  of  the 
color.  The  term  shade  is  frequently  misused  to  convey  the 
idea  of  hue.  In  the  following  pages  the  word  shade  will  be 
used  to  convey  the  idea  of  a  pigment  darkened  by  black  or 
another  pigment. 

Color  Strength.  The  term  color  strength  of  a  pigment 
means  the  actual  amount  of  color  it  contains.  It  is  measured 
by  its  tinting  power,  when  mixed  with  white.  This  of  course 
is  a  measure  of  the  relative  power  a  pigment  has  to  impart 
its  hue  or  color  to  another  pigment.  The  color  strength  of 
a  pigment  varies  with  its  crystalline  character.  The  more 
amorphous  or  finely  divided  a  pigment  is,  the  greater  will 
be  its  color  strength. 

Yellow  is  a  brightening  color. 

Red  is  the  color  of  warmth  and  warms  all  mixtures. 

Blue  is  the  color  of  coldness  and  cools  all  mixtures. 

To  illustrate  the  coldness  of  blue  and  the  warmth  of 
red,  take  a  medium  purple,  inclining  neither  to  blue  nor  to 
red.  Add  enough  red  to  make  it  a  decidedly  reddish  purple, 
and  note  the  warming  effect  of  red.  Next  add  enough  blue 
to  make  it  a  decidedly  bluish-purple,  and  you  can  feel  the 
temperature  drop,  as  it  were. 

Choosing  Combinations  of  Color.  Usually  it  is  pre¬ 
ferable  to  use  a  shade  of  one  color  with  a  tint  of  its  con¬ 
trasting  or  complementary  color.  If  a  pure  color  is  used 
with  two  others,  then  the  two  should  be  a  tint  and  a  shade. 


OF  PRINTING  INK 


149 

Colors  that  harmonize  given  in  order  of  most  pleasing 
appearance : 


BLACK 

Red-orange 

Orange 

Red  (not  purplish) 
Light  blue 
Light  green  (warm) 
Violet 

BLUE 

Orange 

Gray 

Orange-yellow 

Red-orange 

Yellow-orange 

Yellow 

VIOLET 

Yellow-green 

Yellow 

Green-yellow 

Green 

Blue-green 

Green-blue 

RED  (vermilion  or  scarlet) 
Black 
Blue-green 
Green 
Green-blue 
Green-yellow 
Blue 


YELLOW 
Violet 
Blue- violet 
Brown  (yellow  hue) 
Violet  blue 
Blue 
GREEN 
Red 
Black 
Violet-red 
Orange 
Violet 

BROWN  (red  hue) 

Tint  of  same  color 
Buff  (gray  orange) 
Red 

BROWN  (yellow  hue) 
Tint  of  same  color 
Buff  (gray  yellow) 
Yellow 
ORANGE 
Black 
Blue 

Green-blue 

Blue-green 

Violet-blue 

Green 


This  table  should  be  used  with  discretion.  Contrasting 
quantities  or  area  of  color,  contrasting  shades  and  tints, 
color  related  by  slight  intermixture,  all  effect  color  harmony. 
See  bibliography  for  books  on  color. 


PRACTICAL  USE 


150 

How  to  Mix  Inks. 

Amber.  Chrome  yellow  and  carmine. 

Brown  (rich).  Carmine,  yellow  and  black. 

Bronze  Green.  Yellow  and  black. 

Bright  or  Light  Green.  Yellow  and  blue. 

Deep  Green.  Yellow,  blue  and  black. 

Chestnut.  White  and  brown. 

Grass  Green.  Lemon  yellow  and  bronze  blue. 
Rose.  Geranium  lake  and  white. 

Lead  Color.  White  and  black. 

Magenta.  Geranium  lake  and  purple. 

Maroon.  Red,  black  and  medium  yellow. 

Olive.  Red  and  green. 

Olive  Green.  Medium  yellow  and  purple. 

Pearl.  Blue  and  lead  color. 

Pink.  White  and  carmine. 

Scarlet.  Yellow,  carmine  and  deep  red. 

Sky  Blue.  White  and  ultramarine  blue. 

Turkey  Red.  Vermilion  and  black. 

Russet.  Orange  and  lake  purple. 

Violet  or  Deep  Lilac.  Carmine  and  blue. 
Umber.  White,  yellow,  red  and  black. 

Light  Brown.  Is  made  from  burnt  sienna  and 
yellow  and  shaded  with  lake  or  ultramarine  for 
warmth  or  cold  quality. 

Salmon.  White,  burnt  sienna  and  a  little  orange 
chrome. 

Adding  blue  to  brown  kills  the  reddish  effect,  and  the 
further  addition  of  yellow  removes  the  purplish  tone. 

Adding  Bismark  brown  to  gray  green  or  blue  warms 
these  colors. 

Mixing  Transparent  Tints.  Start  with  the  tint  base 


OF  PRINTING  INK 


151 

whether  it  is  magnesia  or  mixing  white  ink,  and  very  little 
of  the  color  you  intend  to  lighten  into  the  tint.  Add  enough 
color  only  to  cover  nicely.  Do  not  flood  a  job  to  secure 
proper  value  of  color. 

In  mixing  a  tint,  mix  a  very  little  to  try  out,  especially 
if  it  is  a  transparent  tint,  because  it  will  be  about  four 
shades  lighter  in  value  when  printed.  It  is  much  easier  to 
match  ink  with  ink,  than  ink  with  printed  sample.  In 
making  two  light  values  for  a  job  of  printing,  after  your 
colors  are  mixed,  take  the  colors  you  intend  to  use,  mix 
just  a  little  of  the  lighter  value  color  into  the  darker;  this 
will  tend  to  bring  them  together  and  blend  nicely. 

In  mixing  tints,  depart  as  much  as  possible  from  the 
primary  colors.  It  shows  bad  taste,  merely  to  reduce  a  color 
by  adding  varnish  or  white  ink,  because  there  are  so  many 
attractive  combinations  made  possible  by  intermixing. 

Never  use  black  for  darkening  tints.  The  moment  black 
is  added,  except  in  grays,  the  beauty  of  the  tint  is  destroyed, 
its  transparency  is  lost  and  it  becomes  dirty  and  dull.  Add 
a  little  darker  blue,  a  very  dark  green  or  brown,  etc. 

Covering  Capacity.  Figure  two-thirds  of  a  pound  of 
tint  to  a  thousand  impressions  of  sixteen  pages  carrying  a 
heavy  border.  But  remember  that  the  amount  will  vary 
with  the  paper  and  area  to  be  printed. 

Opaque  Tints.  Opaque  tints  are  mostly  for  cover  stock, 
hand-made  paper,  linen  paper,  machine-finish  book,  antique 
paper,  etc. 

Make  your  opaque  tints  by  using  cover-white  ink,  and 
adding  the  color  you  desire,  until  you  have  the  proper  value. 

Colors.  To  lessen  the  brilliancy  of  a  color  add  its  com¬ 
plementary  color.  To  diminish  red,  add  blue-green;  to  dimin¬ 
ish  yellow,  add  purple;  to  diminish  blue,  add  burnt  sienna. 


152 


PRACTICAL  USE 


White  pales  all  colors,  but  does  not  brighten  or  increase 
their  intensity.  Yellow  is  the  brightening  color.  It  adds 
light  to  all  colors  and  mixtures. 

A  Good  Gray.  If  the  color  to  be  matched  is  a  dark 
gray,  inclining  to  the  blue  shade,  begin  by  adding  pure  blue 
to  the  mixing  white  until  when  a  touch  is  tapped  out  on 
paper  it  appears  to  be  about  equal  in  strength  to  that  of 
copy,  only  blue,  instead  of  gray.  Now  add  sufficient  burnt 
sienna  to  bring  the  color  around  to  a  greenish  shade;  fin¬ 
ally  add  crimson  lake  very  carefully  until  correct  shade  of 
gray  is  obtained. 

A  Good  Brown.  Ten  parts  of  Y-5  yellow  (which  is 
standard  opaque  process  yellow),  6  parts  of  Bismark  brown, 
and  1  part  half-tone  black.  If  yellow  is  too  stiff  or  strong, 
use  Indian  lake,  but  use  more  of  this,  as  it  is  transparent. 

Gold  Bronze  Imitation.  Yellow,  orange  and  burnt 
sienna. 

Silver  Imitation.  Gray  will  make  good  silver  imitation. 

Purple.  A  bluish  red,  and  a  reddish  blue  will  mix  a 
bright  pure  purple. 

A  Good  Orange.  Yellow  and  vermilion. 

Bright  Orange.  Scarlet,  and  a  true  yellow  (without 
greenish  quality)  give  brightest  orange. 

Green.  Greenish  yellow  and  greenish  blue  give  a  pure 
green.  The  most  brilliant  green  can  not  be  mixed. 

Inks.  Printed  over  black,  Indian  yellow  lake  (which  is 
transparent)  will  imitate  brass.  By  adding  Persian  orange 
to  Indian  yellow  lake  and  printing  over  black,  the  effect  of 
gold  is  produced. 

Tack  and  Softness.  Tack  is  that  property  of  cohesion 
between  particles  of  ink  that  can  best  be  described  as  the 
pulling  power  of  the  ink  against  another  surface.  When 


OF  PRINTING  INK 


153 

there  is  very  little  cohesion  and  the  property  of  tack  is 
almost  absent  we  have  what  we  may  designate  as  softness. 

Transparency.  This  will  be  used  in  the  general  sense 
of  the  word ;  namely,  that  quality  of  a  pigment  or  ink  that 
allows  color  or  light  from  another  source  to  pass  through  it. 

Opacity.  This  is  the  property  which  absolutely  stops 
the  transmission  of  light  or  color  from  another  source.  A 
transparent  color  can  be  rendered  more  or  less  opaque  by  the 
addition  of  a  base;  while  many  opaque  pigments  can  be 
made  to  some  extent  transparent  if  they  are  laid  on  or 
printed  in  a  thin  film,  and  some  few  can  be  made  to  appear 
transparent  to  a  slight  degree  by  the  addition  of  some  other 
materials.  The  opacity  or  covering  power  varies,  as  does 
the  color  strength,  with  the  crystalline  character  of  the 
pigment. 

Impossible  Combinations.  This  means  that,  for  some 
reason,  physical  or  chemical,  a  pigment  can  not  be  used 
with  another  pigment,  or  with  certain  vehicles,  or  under 
certain  circumstances.  The  fact  that  we  can  not  use  lead 
colors  with  those  containing  sulphur  is  a  well-known  ex¬ 
ample  of  this.  Another  example  is  the  fact  that  colors 
affected  by  alkalies  should  not  be  used  to  print  labels  for 
soap  or  lye  cans. 

Varnishes.  The  “tack”  of  the  ink  is  due  principally  to 
the  grade  of  varnish.  Heavy  varnishes  make  a  tacky  ink 
for  use  on  hard  papers,  celluloid,  etc.  Heavy  varnish  is  also 
used  to  keep  an  ink  from  soaking  into  absorbent  paper. 
Medium  and  thin  varnishes  have  less  tack.  The  average 
job  and  half-tone  inks  are  ground  in  No.  1  varnish.  If  heavy 
varnishes  were  used  in  half-tone  inks,  which  are  used  princi¬ 
pally  on  coated  paper,  it  would  pick  the  coating.  The  thin 
varnishes  are  reducers.  Linseed-oil  varnishes  are  grouped  as 


154  PRACTICAL  USE 

in  the  following  table,  which  shows  the  classification  of 
varnishes. 

Thin  Varnishes  Medium  Varnishes  Heavy  Varnishes 


00000  1  4 

0000  2  5 

000  3  6 

00  7 

0  8 


Most  inks  are  ground  in  No.  1  varnish  and  will  work 
properly  at  70  degrees  Fahrenheit.  Cold  increases  the  tack 
of  a  varnish  and  heat  decreases  it.  If  the  temperature  is  70 
degrees,  No.  1  varnish  will  have  as  much  tack  as  No.  0  var¬ 
nish  at  60  degrees,  No.  2  varnish  at  80  degrees,  or  No.  3  var¬ 
nish  at  90  degrees.  By  watching  the  thermometer  you  can 
gauge  the  required  viscosity  of  your  inks. 

Cutting  Quality.  If  a  pigment  contains  any  hard  ma¬ 
terial,  it  is  apt  to  exert  an  abrasive  action  on  plates,  forms 
and  cuts,  and  to  wear  down  the  fine  lines  so  that  sharp¬ 
ness  and  definition  will  be  lacking.  This  not  only  destroys 
the  effectiveness  of  the  work,  but  also  shortens  the  life  of  the 
plate  or  half-tones. 

Livering.  When  an  ink,  on  standing,  thickens  to  a 
spongy  rubber-like  mass,  it  is  said  to  “liver.”  This  is  due 
to  a  chemical  action  between  the  pigment  and  the  vehicle, 
such  as  the  rapid  oxidation  of  the  oil,  or  the  formation  of  a 
soap.  When  a  pigment  shows  a  tendency  to  liver,  it  can  not 
be  regarded  as  a  good  ink-making  pigment. 

Shortness.  If  a  pigment  when  mixed  with  a  large 
quantity  of  oil  still  remains  stiff  or  can  not  be  drawn  out 
into  a  string  between  the  fingers,  but  breaks,  it  is  said  to  be 
short.  While  there  are  some  classes  of  work  that  require  an 


OF  PRINTING  INK 


155 


ink  of  a  certain  degree  of  shortness,  yet,  as  a  general  rule, 
pigments  that  show  this  property  are  not  suited  for  making 
inks. 

Flow  and  Length.  Flow  is  the  property  of  a  pigment 
to  combine  with  a  good  body  and  give  it  the  ability  to  run 
and  feed  well  on  the  press.  An  ink  that  flows  well  must  also 
have  the  property  of  being  drawn  out  into  a  string  between 
the  fingers,  and  this  is  called  length.  Thus,  each  one  of  these 
terms  suggests  or  includes  the  other;  they  are  both  some¬ 
times  spoken  of  as  short  and  long  inks. 

Permanency  in  Light.  This  is  used  in  the  ordinary 
sense  of  the  word ;  that  is,  it  means  the  degree  of  resistance 
the  color  has  to  the  changing  action  of  ordinary  light. 

Test  Permanency  of  Ink.  Cover  for  one  week  a  print 
of  the  ink  (solid)  with  a  very  dark  paper,  except  one  inch, 
at  the  left  leaving  it  exposed  to  sunshine  or  bright  daylight. 
Expose  another  inch  for  another  week,  another  inch  for  the 
third  week,  then  compare  with  the  part  left  covered. 

Doubletone  Inks.  The  doubletone  inks  are  so  com¬ 
pounded  that  a  secondary  tone  or  tint  is  developed  on  the 
paper  under  the  film  of  the  color  proper,  producing  that 
richness  and  brilliancy  heretofore  only  obtained  by  addi¬ 
tional  impressions. 

The  extraordinary  covering  capacity,  intensity  and 
opacity  of  the  pigments  used  is  such  that  on  all  solid  parts 
of  the  work,  i.  e.,  type  matter,  solids,  etc.,  this  secondary 
tone  (called  the  “doubletone”)  is  entirely  hidden  and  in¬ 
visible,  only  coming  to  view  where  the  solids  are  broken, 
and  hence  is  observable  to  the  greatest  degree  on  half-tone 
work.  The  artistic  result,  giving  that  atmospheric  effect  so 
much  desired,  is  due  to  the  gradation  in  the  development 
of  the  doubletone,  from  the  more  or  less  solid  portion  of  a 


PRACTICAL  USE 


156 

half-tone  down  to  the  very  finest  and  most  open  screen 
work,  resulting  in  the  blending  and  softening  of  the  cut. 

It  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  doubletone  develops 
not  only  under  the  solid,  and  exactly  under  each  fine  line 
and  each  dot  of  the  half-tone,  but  also  develops  sideways, 
forming  as  it  were  a  halo  or  aureole,  so  that  each  little  dot 
of  the  half-tone  is  a  center  from  which  the  doubletone 
develops  in  all  directions.  This  development  takes  place 
to  a  certain  distance  in  every  direction  without  much  refer¬ 
ence  to  the  size  of  the  solid.  It  therefore  follows  that  the 
halo  will  be  greater  in  proportion  to  the  solid  surface,  the 
smaller  that  solid  is,  reaching  its  greatest  proportionate 
size  where  the  solid  is  a  half-tone  dot.  The  doubletone  halo 
also  fills  to  a  certain  extent  the  blank  spaces  between  the 
dots,  according  to  their  size,  number  and  closeness  to  each 
other,  and  thus  the  actual  doubletone  effect  is  achieved. 
This  is  particularly  apparent  where  the  neighboring  solids 
or  dots  (as  the  case  may  be)  are  so  close  together  that  their 
aureoles  combine  and  form  a  continuous  tint  or  field  of 
doubletone.  Therefore,  such  half-tone  cuts  will  give  the 
best  doubletone  effect,  where  the  surface  consists  of  solids, 
dots  and  blank  spaces  suitably  interspersed;  for  the  greatest 
contrast  between  solid  and  doubletone  is  only  produced 
where  it  already  exists  to  a  certain  extent  in  the  cut.  The 
doubletone  inks  can  not  change  the  nature  or  quality  of  the 
cut  itself,  nor  can  it  be  expected  that  the  inks  will  make  up 
for  any  deficiencies  in  the  cut,  such  as  shallowness,  lack  of 
detail,  etc.  The  screen  must  also  be  in  accordance  with  the 
nature  of  the  subject,  and  the  quality  of  the  paper. 

From  the  above  remarks,  it  naturally  follows  that  the 
more  absorbent  the  paper  used,  the  more  ink  can  be  carried 
and  the  more  easily  the  doubletone  will  spread  in  every 


OF  PRINTING  INK 


157 


direction,  and  give  the  best  doubletone  result.  Hence, 
papers  with  hard  surfaces,  or  very  highly  calendered,  and 
especially  strongly  sized  papers,  are  antagonistic  to  the 
desired  results;  whereas  the  best  effect  is  produced  on  ab¬ 
sorbent  papers  with  soft  surfaces. 

This  development  of  the  doubletone  begins  as  soon  as 
the  impression  is  made,  and  is  gradually  completed  during 
the  drying  of  the  ink.  The  doubletone  inks  are  so  made 
that  when  the  sheets  are  piled  one  on  top  of  the  other,  as  is 
done  in  the  ordinary  course  of  printing,  the  inks  will  dry  in 
the  proper  time  for  all  practical  purposes,  but  not  so  fast 
that  the  doubletone  development  will  be  arrested  before  it 
reaches  its  greatest  limits.  As  now  made,  the  doubletone 
inks  require  slip-sheeting  only  where  it  would  be  also 
necessary  with  any  other  kind  of  ink  for  the  same  work. 

The  doubletone  effect  can  be  increased  by  somewhat 
retarding  the  drying  of  the  ink,  which  can  be  done  by  add¬ 
ing  some  vaseline.  The  correct  proportion  is  about  one- 
half  ounce  up  to  an  ounce  of  the  vaseline  to  one  pound  of 
ink.  The  amount  varies  with  the  quality  of  the  paper  used, 
and  great  care  should  be  used  not  to  go  too  far  in  this  direc¬ 
tion.  Furthermore,  when  the  sheets  are  piled  one  on  top 
of  another,  the  doubletone  effect  can  spread  only  sideways, 
and  this  adds  to  the  doubletone. 

We  find  that  where  the  inks  are  proved  in  a  small  way, 
it  often  leads  to  misconceptions  regarding  their  merits. 
This  occurs  only  when  a  small  number  of  proofs  are  made, 
and  they  are  spread  out  singly  to  dry;  the  doubletone  de¬ 
velopment  is  prematurely  stopped,  besides  which  it  does 
not  develop  sideways,  as  it  will  do  when  the  sheets  are  piled 
up,  as  above  explained. 

Again,  on  a  hand  press,  when  the  paper  remains  too 


PRACTICAL  USE 


US 

long  in  contact  with  the  form,  too  much  of  the  varnish 
soaks  away  into  the  paper,  while  the  pigment  remains  on  the 
form.  Thus,  proofs  made  in  this  manner  furnish  no  cri¬ 
terion  of  the  results  obtained  when  printing  in  a  regular  way. 

Furthermore,  to  obtain  the  best  results  it  is,  of  course, 
necessary  that  all  cuts  be  made  ready  with  the  utmost  care, 
and  that,  of  course,  the  strength  of  the  impression  be  suit¬ 
ably  regulated.  Again,  as  stated  above,  the  doubletone 
effect  develops  as  the  ink  dries.  The  time  required  for 
drying  naturally  varies  with  the  paper  and  quality  of  the 
cut,  and  consequently  with  the  amount  of  ink  necessarily 
carried,  as  dictated  by  the  above  factors.  The  inks  should 
therefore  not  to  be  judged  until  they  are  dry,  and  suitable 
attention,should  be  given  to  all  the  points  stated  above. 

Parafined  or  Heavily  Oiled  Stock.  Add  to  a  strong 
ink  the  following  mixture  in  proportion  of  eight  drops  to  a 
cubic  inch  of  ink:  Copal  or  Damar  varnish,  and  Venice 
turpentine  in  equal  proportions  well  shaken. 

Printing  Solids.  When  printing  over  more  than  two 
solids,  make  the  ink  greasy  by  using  a  reducer. 

Crystallized  Inks.  In  process  printing,  if  the  inks 
have  crystallized,  so  you  that  can  not  make  the  next  color 
“  take,  ”  use  five  ounces  equal  parts  of  parafine  wax,  beeswax 
and  gloss  varnish  to  five  pounds  of  ink.  Mix  in  ink  when 
warm. 

Reduce  Process  Inks.  To  reduce  color  process  inks, 
never  use  boiled  linseed  oil,  for  it  dries  out  glossy  and  crys¬ 
tallizes.  To  reduce,  if  necessary  use  vaseline  or  parafine 
oil  half  and  half.  For  brown  and  blue  inks  which  have  a 
tendency  to  fill  up  the  cuts,  use  a  heavy  litho  varnish,  No.  3. 

Chalky  Inks.  For  inks  that  chalk  or  rub  off,  one  ounce 
of  parafine  oil,  to  about  two  pounds  of  ink;  if  too  thin,  add 


i59 


'  *  /  * 

OF  PRINTIh^  INK 

magnesia.  This  mixture  will  not  gloss  the  ink  or  change  the 
color.  Put  in  dryer,  run  a  few  sheets  and  examine  in  the 
morning.  The  blues  and  browns  are  the  chief  offenders  in 
chalking.  Balsam  Copaiba  will  also  eliminate  this  chalkiness 
when  mixed  into  ink,  especially  on  highly  glazed  surfaces. 

Gold  Ink.  To  run  gold  ink  from  fountain,  mix  the 
powder,  using  kerosene  and  Japan  drier,  to  a  consistency  to 
work  well. 

Bronze  Base.  A  useful  base  for  bronze  powder  is 
litho  varnish  with  beeswax  melted  into  it. 

Fir  balsam,  with  yellow,  makes  a  good  bronze  size. 

Varnish  Labels.  The  gloss  varnish,  if  used  alone, 
would  be  liable  to  prove  too  thin.  If  so,  thoroughly  work 
into  it  finely  powdered  magnesia,  which,  being  transparent, 
will  give  body  to  the  varnish. 

For  Ordinary  Colored  Inks.  The  following  will  not 
only  reduce  poster  inks,  etc.,  but  also  act  as  a  good  dryer. 
To  one  quart  of  spirits  of  turpentine  add  six  ounces  of 
Balsam  of  Copaiba.  Use  sufficient  quantity  to  make  the 
ink  suitable  to  work  off  the  job  in  hand. 

Dryers.  Balsam  of  Copaiba,  Damar  or  Copal  varnish, 
will  act  as  a  dryer  without  injuring  the  quality  of  the  ink. 
A  little  vaseline  or  lard  will  decrease  the  strength  of  the 
varnish  used  in  the  ink. 

Dryer  and  Reducer  Combined. 

2  gills  boiled  oil. 

1  gill  Damar  varnish. 

4  drams  oil  of  cloves. 

When  thoroughly  shaken,  it  is  ready  for  use.  It  will 
act  as  a  mild  dryer  and  a  reducer. 

Reducers.  Kerosene  oil  with  dryer  added.  Vaseline 
with  dryer  added. 


SUITABLE  COMBINATIONS 


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. Doubletone  Ink . Vaseline . Japan 

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Gummed  (Glazed) . Half-tone . Soft  Half-tone . Japan 

Gummed  (M.  F.) . Job  Ink . .Soft  Half-tone. . . Japan 


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PRACTICAL  USE 


162 

Copying  Ink.  This  is  commonly  made  of  glycerine  and 
aniline  dyes.  Varnishes,  reducers,  benzine,  etc.,  have  no 
effect  on  it.  If  it  runs  too  thin  it  is  because  it  contains  too 
much  glycerine.  If  it  is  so  thick  as  to  dry  on  rollers  and 
discolor,  mix  in  just  a  little  glycerine  as  a  reducer;  if  too 
thin  add  gum  arabic.  It  is  necessary  to  wash  up  copying 
ink  with  water,  but  as  water  is  detrimental  to  your  com¬ 
position  rollers,  you  can  wash  up  with  water  the  disk  or  ink 
table,  then  sheet  off  the  ink  from  the  rollers  by  using 
several  sheets.  Next  run  black  on  and  wash  up  with 
benzine. 

Inks  to  keep  in  Stock. 

Half-tone  Black. 

Bond-paper  Black. 

Job  Black. 

Bismark  Brown. 

Burnt  Umber. 

Burnt  Sienna. 

Geranium  Lake. 

Vermilion  (Red). 

Transparent  Orange. 

Persian  Orange. 

Ultramarine  Blue. 

Label  Blue. 

Milori  Blue. 

Lemon  Yellow. 

Chrome  Yellow. 

French  Green. 

Green  Lake. 

Process  Inks. 


PRINTERS’  ROLLERS 


ONE  of  the  most  important  factors  of  the  printing  press 
is  the  simple,  elastic  cylinder  which  supplies  the  ink  to 
the  surface  of  the  type. 

Previous  to  the  opening  of  the  nineteenth  century,  there 
was  no  such  thing  known  as  a  printer’s  roller,  at  least  there 
was  none  in  practical  use.  Balls  made  of  kid,  sheepskin, 
buckskin,  and  chamois  leather  filled  with  horse  hair  had 
been  handed  down  from  the  original  inventors  of  printing. 
But  none  of  the  manufacturers  of  these  balls  had  cared  to 
improve  them  or  replace  them  with  a  better  contrivance. 

The  greatest  benefit  derived  by  the  introduction  of  com¬ 
position  was  its  adaptability  to  the  various  machines  in¬ 
vented  for  printing.  Fast  machines  for  daily  newspapers 
would  never  have  been  possible  without  the  use  of  the  roller 
nor  could  the  delicate  lines  of  the  fine  engravings  of  the 
present  time  be  produced  without  its  use. 

The  earliest  rollers  of  modern  type  were  made  simply 
from  glue  and  molasses  and  nothing  else.  To  say  the  least  for 
the  glue  and  molasses  roller,  when  fresh  and  new  there  is  no 
better  roller  made  at  the  present  day.  It  possessed  a  pe¬ 
culiar  tackiness  that,  under  favorable  conditions,  was 
exactly  right.  It  took  up  ink,  and  imparted  it  to  the  form 
perfectly,  but  the  glue  and  molasses  roller,  while  apparently 
very  cheap,  was  really  very  expensive  as  it  was  at  its  best 
for  only  a  few  days,  depending  on  the  weather.  Under 
some  conditions  its  period  of  usefulness  lasted  less  than  a 
week,  while  under  other  conditions,  this  period  might  be 
extended.  This  caused  frequent  renewals  which  made  it 


COMPOSITION  ROLLERS 


164 

far  more  expensive  than  the  modern  roller  whose  period 
of  usefulness  extends  for  months,  to  say  nothing  of  the 
extra  costs  involved  by  these  renewals,  waiting  for  the  new 
rollers  to  be  made.  The  basis  of  the  main  difference  between 
the  old  glue  and  molasses  roller  and  the  rollers  of  today, 
consists  in  the  discovery  of  the  utility  of  the  substance 
called  glycerine,  and  the  one  great  point  that  was  gained  by 
the  use  of  glycerine  was  the  simple  durability  of  the  roller. 
Glue  and  molasses  rollers  dried  and  shrunk  rapidly,  and  a 
dry,  glassy  skin  formed  upon  the  face  within  a  few  days, 
but  this  tendency  was  overcome  by  the  substitution  of  gly¬ 
cerine  for  molasses. 

The  introduction  of  glycerine,  however,  brought  forth 
a  difficulty  which  had  not  been  experienced  heretofore 
with  rollers.  Glycerine  has  a  powerful  attraction  for  mois¬ 
ture  and  will  gain  notably  in  weight  if  exposed  to  the  air. 
Its  introduction  into  rollers  has,  therefore,  to  some  extent, 
made  their  durability  dependent  upon  the  weather,  but 
this  drawback  may  be  overcome  in  a  great  measure,  by 
ordering  rollers  according  to  the  season  in  which  they  are  to 
be  used,  the  amount  of  glycerine  being  modified  to  suit  these 
conditions. 

Qualities  of  a  Good  Roller.  Its  form  should  be  true 

and  exact.  It  should  be  elastic,  have  a  quick  spring,  and  the 
face  fresh,  with  permanent  suction. 

Its  elasticity  should  be  such  that  it  can  adapt  itself 
sufficiently,  have  a  strong  affinity  for  ink,  to  take  instantly  a 
sufficient  supply  from  the  ink  table  and  part  with  it  prop¬ 
erly  on  the  form. 

The  face  should  be  perfect,  and  therefore  free  from  pin 
holes  and  oil  marks.  Defects  on  the  face  of  the  roller  inter¬ 
fere  with  the  best  printing  and  its  prompt  cleaning. 


COMPOSITION  ROLLERS 


165 

Another  quality  to  be  desired  in  a  roller  is  absence  of 
shrinkage  (as  far  as  it  can  be  secured).  Shrinkage  requires 
frequent  resetting  which  takes  time.  All  rollers  will  shrink 
some,  summer  rollers  especially,  and  more  especially  those 
made  in  hot  weather  for  cold  weather.  Many  rollers,  en¬ 
tirely  good  in  other  respects,  are  rendered  worthless  by 
shrinking  to  such  a  degree  as  to  be  too  small  to  touch  either 
form  or  distributor. 

When  to  Order  Rollers.  Don’t  wait  until  you  actually 
need  a  roller  before  you  order  it,  but  forestall  delays,  incon¬ 
venience  and  trouble  by  ordering  it  in  time.  Remember, 
rollers  ordinarily  can  not  be  ordered  by  letter  or  telephone, 
as  can  be  done  with  ink  or  paper,  but  that  it  is  necessary  to 
first  ship  the  old  rollers  to  the  roller  maker  who  covers  them 
and  returns  them.  You  must  therefore  wait  the  time  of 
transportation  both  ways  between  your  office  and  the  roller 
factory,  which,  in  some  localities  and  seasons,  is  far  longer 
than  would  ordinarily  seem  necessary,  and,  in  addition,  the 
time  required  for  the  roller  maker  to  cover  the  cores. 
Meanwhile  your  presses  may  be  standing,  and  as  they  are 
the  source  of  your  income,  their  idleness  is  costing  you 
money. 

Of  course,  if  you  are  located  in  a  town  where  there  is  a 
roller  maker,  the  time  of  transportation  is  eliminated,  though 
the  time  of  manufacture  is  not,  and  money  can  not  be  more 
easily  wasted  on  rollers  than  by  ordering  them  when  a  job 
is  made  ready,  holding  a  press  until  they  are  cast  and  re¬ 
turned  and  using  them  immediately  on  receiving  them.  If 
the  weather  be  cool,  and  conditions  favorable,  they  may 
work  satisfactorily,  but  if  it  be  hot  with  a  high  degree  of 
humidity,  the  probabilities  are  they  will  be  destroyed,  and 
the  rollers  and  their  makers  condemned.  The  cause  of  this 


COMPOSITION  ROLLERS 


1 66 

failure,  however,  is  the  lack  of  seasoning,  a  process  of  drying 
out  and  toughening  of  the  rollers  which  is  as  necessary  in  the 
manufacture  of  servicable  rollers  as  the  molding  of  the 
composition  upon  the  cores. 

Seasoning  Rollers.  Seasoning  is  a  drying  out  or 
toughening  of  a  roller,  and,  contrary  to  the  popular  opinion, 
it  is  not  a  matter  of  time  at  all,  or  rather  is  not  a  matter 
entirely  of  time.  There  is  no  rule  of  time  by  which  rollers 
should  be  seasoned  for  three  days  or  three  weeks.  It  depends 
altogether  upon  the  drying  conditions  of  the  weather.  In 
cold  dry  weather,  when  evaporation  is  rapid,  they  will 
season  in  a  day  or  two.  When  the  air  is  saturated  with  all 
the  moisture  it  can  contain  and  carry,  it  is  impossible  to 
season  a  roller  at  all,  and  the  longer  a  roller  stands  exposed 
to  such  conditions,  the  worse  it  will  get,  because,  due  to  the 
glycerine  in  its  manufacture,  it  will  absorb  this  moisture 
and  become  soft  and  spongy.  Under  such  conditions  a  roller 
should  be  covered  with  a  light  layer  of  ordinary  machine  oil 
which  will  protect  it  from  dampness. 

After  a  roller  is  once  properly  seasoned,  the  seasoning 
should  not  continue,  but  the  roller,  when  not  in  use,  should 
be  left  covered  with  machine  oil.  This  increases  the  dura¬ 
bility  of  a  seasoned  roller,  or  rather  it  retards  its  aging. 

It  is  supposed  by  a  great  many  that  the  older  a  roller 
gets  the  harder  it  becomes,  and,  as  is  usual  with  such 
suppositions,  it  has  some  slight  basis  of  truth.  The  longer 
summer  rollers  are  kept,  the  harder  they  will  get,  particu¬ 
larly  after  cold  weather  sets  in,  and  during  very  cold  weather. 
If  they  were  originally  emergency  rollers  made  in  hot 
weather,  they  will  become  very  hard,  and,  strange  to  say, 
will  not  soften  to  any  appreciable  extent  in  the  warm 
weather  of  the  following  summer. 


COMPOSITION  ROLLERS 


167 

Winter  rollers,  on  the  other  hand,  never  will  get  hard 
in  the  ordinary  working  temperatures  of  the  press-room,  no 
matter  how  long  they  are  kept.  During  the  seasoning  pro¬ 
cess  they  will  become  tougher  than  they  were  when  they 
were  originally  cast,  but  they  do  not  get  hard  and,  in  fact, 
on  the  arrival  of  warm  weather,  they  will  get  soft  or  possibly 
very  soft,  and  if  there  is  a  great  deal  of  humidity  in  the  air, 
will  become  very  tender. 

Shipping  Rollers.  Rollers  for  shipment  should  always 
be  boxed  as  the  expense  of  straightening  and  repairing  bent 
and  broken  cores  due  to  rough  handling  in  transit  is  always 
more  than  the  cost  of  a  suitable  box.  The  rollermaker  in 
shipping  your  new  rollers,  always  packs  them  in  a  new  box 
in  such  a  way  that  they  are  supported  on  the  ends  only. 
The  composition  not  coming  in  contact  with  anything  else. 
This  box  should  be  preserved  for  future  shipments,  and,  if 
handled  properly,  will  last  a  long  time  and  more  than  save 
its  cost  by  protecting  the  roller  cores  in  transit. 

Small  lots,  particularly  of  a  set  of  platen  press  rollers, 
should  always  be  shipped  by  express  as  the  freight  rate  is 
usually  the  same  as  for  a  hundred  pounds,  and  never  less 
than  twenty-five  cents,  and  when  the  cartage  at  the  des¬ 
tination  is  added,  the  cost  will  usually  exceed  the  express 
company’s  charge,  with  the  added  disadvantage  of  longer 
time  in  transit  and  the  possibility,  particularly  with  small 
packages,  of  the  loss  of  the  cores. 

Protecting  Rollers.  In  printing  a  small  form  on  a 
large  press,  using  only  a  part  of  a  fountain,  rollers  even 
though  set  properly  and  lightly,  are  sometimes  found  to 
melt  on  the  ends.  This  is  due  to  the  fact  that  the  roller  is 
running  on  the  dry  ink  plate,  to  which  it  adheres  and  rapidly 
heats  up.  This  can  be  avoided  by  keeping  that  part  of  the 


COMPOSITION  ROLLERS 


1 68 

roller  which  is  not  receiving  ink,  covered  with  a  thin  layer 
of  oil  which  serves  to  reduce  the  friction. 

Cleaning  the  Rollers.  Use  a  fluid  that  will  dissolve 
the  ink  but  not  injure  or  affect  the  face  of  the  roller.  Any¬ 
thing  containing  water  will  injure  rollers  except  when  they 
are  very  old  and  very  hard.  No  new  roller  should  be  touched 
with  water  or  any  wash  containing  water.  Use  ordinary 
machine  oil,  kerosene,  or  benzine.  Some  of  the  patent  roller 
washes  on  the  market  are  very  injurious  to  the  face  of  a 
roller,  materially  shortening  its  life, 

In  case  of  emergency,  if  you  have  on  hand  only  a  set 
of  old,  hard  summer  rollers,  which  for  some  reason  or  other 
you  find  you  must  use,  their  suction  can  be  temporarily 
restored  by  sponging,  but  if  a  roller  is  in  a  state  that  it 
demands  this  treatment,  it  is  time  to  order  new  rollers. 

Preserving  Rollers.  At  the  end  of  the  wreek,  stop  the 
presses  half  an  hour  earlier  than  the  usual  time,  wash  up  the 
rollers  and  wipe  the  rollers  with  a  wet  rag  from  which  all 
water  has  been  wrung  out.  This  removes  all  film  that  may 
have  accumulated  during  the  wreek  and  leaves  the  com¬ 
position  perfectly  clean.  You  can  not  remove  this  film  after 
it  has  been  allowed  to  grow  for  any  length  of  time.  On 
winter  rollers  take  a  little  glycerine  (enough  to  moisten  the 
hands)  and  rub  it  well  into  the  face  of  the  roller.  After  this 
has  been  done,  take  a  liberal  quantity  and  go  over  them 
again.  Repeat  the  operation  until  the  composition  has 
absorbed  most  of  the  glycerine.  When  it  assumes  the  appear¬ 
ance  much  resembling  an  inked  roller,  you  may  safely  leave 
it,  as  it  will  absorb  without  leaving  streaks.  Sponge  your 
summer  rollers  the  same  way,  but  as  soon  as  dry,  cover  with 
machine  oil.  Don’t  use  glycerine.  If  you  wish  to  experience 
every  morning  that  satisfaction  you  undoubtedly  feel  when 


COMPOSITION  ROLLERS  169 

putting  a  new  set  of  rollers  on  the  press,  adopt  this  method 
of  caring  for  rollers. 

Don’t  use  winter  rollers  during  the  summer  months. 
The  warm,  sultry  weather  brings  the  glycerine  to  the  surface, 
and  your  rollers  will  either  refuse  to  take  the  ink  or  will 
deposit  the  glycerine  in  spots  on  your  work.  Keep  your 
press-room  at  a  temperature  of  not  less  than  75  degrees; 
your  ink  soft  enough  so  that  the  paper  may  lift  all  the  ink 
from  the  form  at  each  impression. 

Care  of  Rollers  in  Use.  When  inking  up,  put  ink  on  all 
the  way  across  the  rollers.  When  running,  put  a  couple  of 
drops  of  machine  oil  or  vaseline  on  the  ends  of  the  rollers 
as  frequently  as  necessary  to  keep  the  ink  from  drying  up. 
Neglect  of  these  two  requirements  will  result  in  torn  and 
cracked  roller  surfaces.  Should  you  find  the  ink  beginning 
to  dry  on  any  part  of  the  roller,  it  is  best  to  wash  up  at  once 
the  whole  press,  as  it  is  exceedingly  hard  to  check  this  when 
once  started.  Should  a  roller  be  torn  or  cut,  fix  it  at  once 
in  the  following  manner:  Take  a  small  wet  rag,  and  spong 
the  injured  part  clean.  In  a  couple  of  minutes  it  will  dry. 
Then  sponge  again.  This  will  make  the  composition  melt 
readily.  Now  lay  the  roller  in  a  horizontal  position,  torn 
side  up.  Have  several  matches  ready  at  hand.  Light  one 
of  the  matches  and  hold  it  as  close  to  the  composition  as 
possible  without  touching  it  with  flame.  Continue  this 
match  application  until  the  composition  runs  together. 
In  a  few  minutes  it  will  have  cooled  sufficiently.  Do  this  if 
possible  at  the  close  of  the  day’s  run,  so  the  roller  may 
stand  over  night. 


AUTOMATIC  FEEDING 


THE  principles  of  automatically  feeding  a  sheet  of 
paper  into  a  press  by  a  machine,  and  those  employed 
in  hand  feeding,  are  identical;  especially  is  this  true  of  most 
pile  feeders. 

The  first  operation  in  both  hand  and  automatic  feeding 
is  the  buckling  of  the  sheet.  This  is  accomplished  in  hand 
feeding  by  the  aid  of  one  finger  and  the  thumb  of  the  right 
hand.  On  thin  paper  the  thumb  is  usually  close  to  the 
finger,  while  on  stiff,  thick  paper  the  thumb  is  naturally 
moved  away  from  the  finger  to  admit  of  putting  a  buckle 
in  the  sheet  without  breaking  it. 

The  combers  or  buckler  fingers  on  an  automatic  feeder 
represent  the  finger  used  in  hand  feeding,  while  the  buckle 
resist  finger  represents  the  thumb. 

After  sheet  has  been  buckled,  it  is  winded  in  order  to 
allow  it  to  be  taken  off  the  pile  without  causing  friction 
enough  to  take  the  next  sheet  with  it.  This  is  done  in  var¬ 
ious  ways  by  the  machine  feed  method. 

All  forms  should  be  run  in  the  center  of  press,  to  use 
the  automatic  feeders,  and  the  stock  be  ^2  to  ^  of  an  inch 
to  one  side  to  allow  for  the  side  guide  to  draw  the  sheet  this 
amount.  The  stock  should  be  the  correct  height  in  feeder, 
and  also  reasonably  level.  In  case  it  is  low  in  places,  it 
should  be  evened  up  by  inserting  wooden  wedges. 

Cross  Automatic  Feeder.  In  placing  job  on  press 
with  the  intention  of  using  automatic  feeder,  always  center 
it  on  the  press  sideways.  After  job  is  made  ready  put  a  sheet 
down  to  the  guides  up  to  side  guide,  then  mark  three  lines 


CROSS  FEEDER 


AUTOMATIC  FEEDING 


I7I 

on  sheet  extending  over  on  cylinder  packing,  or  let  grippers 
take  hold  of  sheet  and  then  throw  the  sheet  over  on  tapes 
for  the  present. 

Put  on  the  brass  fingers,  which  are  bolted  on  each  side 
to  the  feed  board ;  throw  the  sheet  back  and  place  the  side 
guide  of  feeder  stop  to  the  very  edge  of  sheet  as  this  is  your 
correct  position  which  you  secured  beforehand,  the  brass 
fingers  distributed  evenly  across  the  sheet. 

Proceed  to  turn  feeder  down  on  press  for  operation  on 
slides  which  is  run  down  by  a  crank.  Lower  the  feeder  as  it 
is  folded  up  out  of  the  way  to  enable  you  to  raise  feed  board 
to  pack  cylinder  and  make  ready.  In  lowering,  be  sure  no 
sticks  are  in  direct  line  with  the  large  reels;  they  must 
straddle  these,  or  this  will  cause  them  to  break. 

After  feeder  is  down  you  can  lower  the  top  stock  board 
and  proceed  to  load.  The  tack  mark  of  a  back-up  job  must 
be  on  the  side  your  guide  is  on,  and  the  side  you  intend  to 
print  must  be  laid  face  down  on  stock  board  of  feeder,  and 
when  you  roll  or  comb  out  stock  and  proceed  to  load  feeder, 
never  load  higher  than  the  top  feed  guide,  whichever  side 
guide  you  use.  Place  your  stock  so  it  will  turn  down  three- 
quarters  of  an  inch  away  from  side  guide  when  loading  on 
top  of  feeder,  so  the  side  guide  can  pull  it  over  this  much: 
this  must  be  done  before  you  lay  any  stock  up.  Be  careful 
to  load  and  comb  out  the  stock  the  same  all  through  the 
run.  It  takes  about  900  sheets  or  so  to  fill  a  feeder,  but  you 
can  run  it  out  with  a  small  lift  of  stock,  50  or  100  sheets. 

Now  turn  a  sheet  down  by  hand  and  push  over  to  side 
guide.  Pull  impression;  see  if  side  guide  is  O.K. 

If  guide  is  correct,  attach  the  small  side  arms  which 
work  side  guide  sleeve.  These  parts  are  slanted  down  for 
draw  or  near  guide  motion,  and  point  up  for  push  feed. 


AUTOMATIC  FEEDING 


172 

(See  new  device  on  later  make  machines.)  Turn  feeder  until 
guide  rod  or  sleeve  is  all  the  way  over  towards  the  side 
guide  you  are  using,  then  set  side  guide  into  groove.  It 
should  slide  in  groove  freely.  Also  notice  whether  the  foot 
of  guide  is  bent;  if  so,  it  can  be  taken  off  by  turning  guide 
up,  the  same  as  if  it  were  not  in  use  and  remove  the  two 
screws;  lay  on  flat  surface  and  straighten.  If  side  guide 
pulls  sheet  too  hard  and  crowds  the  guide,  take  off  tension, 
if  not  hard  enough,  put  on  tension. 

Center  top  guards  across  the  feeder  to  control  the  sheet 
in  its  downward  movement.  See  that  kickers  touch  back 
edge  of  sheet  when  kicker  rods  are  as  far  forward  as  they 
go  and  the  sheet  is  up  to  the  bottom  (or  gripper)  guides. 

Set  feeder  tongues  the  same  shape  as  press  guide  tongues 
and  same  height  from  packing,  especially  for  register. 

Feeder  Chain.  Chain  should  be  placed  on  so  as  to  pull 
opposite  the  hook,  otherwise  links  will  break,  if  pulling  in  the 
gear  tooth,  against  the  hook  on  driving  chain. 


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To  Time  Feeder  with  Press.  Place  press  in  position 
with  grippers  just  closed,  on  the  gear  or  driving  side  of 
feeder;  loosen  large  nut  at  end  of  driving  rod,  push  rod  and 
gear  towards  press  out  of  mesh.  Pull  feeder  starter  rod  in, 
which  is  on  feeder  side,  same  as  when  running;  turn  large 
gear  on  gear  side  of  feeder  by  hand  until  you  can’t  turn  any 
more.  Pull  driving  rod  and  small  gear  back  into  mesh, 
allowing  about  two  leads  play  between  teeth  on  large  gear 


AUTOMATIC  FEEDING  173 

and  the  small  gear  or  driving  rod;  then  tighten  the  nut. 


Lower  belts  can  be  sewed  after  measuring  to  get  correct 
length,  by  taking  off  the  reels.  Sew,  and  then  put  on  reels; 
make  stitches  cross  underneath  and  keep  straight  on  top. 


Upper  belts  should  be  placed  in  position.  Nail  upper 
end  ten  inches  above  feeder  cylinder,  and  about  ten  inches 
from  end  of  belt.  Nail  other  end  to  feeder  cylinder  about  ten 
inches  from  end  of  belt ;  turn  cylinder  up,  using  crank  until 
belt  is  tight;  then  place  nail  in  gear  teeth  to  hold  until  you 
cut  ends  off  square  and  sew.  Make  stitches  cross  underneath 
and  keep  straight  on  top. 


Loading.  Never  load  paper  higher  than  guide  on  top. 


AUTOMATIC  FEEDING 


174 

Get  position  for  stock  by  a  mark  on  center  of  feeder 
board.  Feeders  are  centered  on  press.  Always  load  same  as 
you  start  each  job  so  as  not  to  be  under  the  necessity  of 
changing  feed  of  feeder  by  raising  nut  in  slot  near  the  crank 
on  end  of  feeder  cylinder  for  faster,  or  lowering  for  slower. 

Feeder  Cylinder  Guards.  There  should  be  one  guard 
on  each  end  of  sheet  on  paper  cylinder  of  feeder,  so  as  not 
to  allow  corners  to  turn  back  or  break  when  being  run  down 
to  be  fed  into  press. 

Combers.  Should  only  comb  one  inch  or  as  little  as 
possible;  this  prevents  marking  of  sheets,  also  twisting. 

The  center  screw  between  combers  is  to  regulate  the 
height  of  combers  and  they  should  not  be  so  low  as  to  comb 
on  the  board ;  they  also  cause  feeder  to  feed  faster  by  raising, 
and  lowering  this  screw,  which  will  allow  more  or  less  stock 
to  come  under  the  combers;  they  should  lower  and  rise 
quickly  off  the  sheet. 

Reels.  The  drop  roller,  No.  7,  should  drop  just  as  the 
feed  roller  directly  under  starts  forward  to  run  sheet  down. 
They  both  must  have  an  even  amount  of  pressure.  Cut¬ 
outs  should  place  the  sheet  one-eighth  of  an  inch  past  cen¬ 
ter  of  feed  roll,  which  is  directly  underneath  reels  No.  7,  or 
just  enough  for  a  start,  and  not  take  two  sheets;  if  set 
more  there  is  a  possibility  of  two  sheets  starting  down. 


AUTOMATIC  FEEDING 


175 

Slow  down  reels  No.  8  should  both  have  an  even  amount 
of  pressure ;  they  should  start  when  sheet  is  three-quarters  of 
an  inch  from  them  so  as  to  be  in  motion  and  not  cause  the 
sheet  to  hesitate  any  when  it  arrives.  These  reels  place  the 
sheet  up  to  the  guides  on  press.  They  should  just  put  it 
there  carefully  and  not  cause  it  to  rebound  or  crowd  the 
guides. 

Eccentric  Bushing.  It  times  the  No.  8  slow  down 
reels  and  is  the  adjustment  for  placing  sheet  up  to  guides  so 
as  not  to  crowd,  or  to  be  too  slow.  It  is  on  gear  side  of  feeder, 
and  has  three  marks  thereon.  The  point  should  never  be  on 
outside  of  these  marks,  but  any  point  between  them. 


Spring.  The  large  spring  pulls  the  cylinder  around  to 
feed  stock.  It  should  have  a  full  swing.  If  not,  tighten 
spring.  It  should  have  the  same  amount  of  movement  as 
the  wheel,  so  the  combers  do  not  comb  too  far. 

Trip  Springs.  Are  at  guide  edge,  and  they  should  only 
slide  back  one-quarter  of  an  inch  beyond  the  small  notch 
on  the  feeder  tongue  so  as  to  trip  before  press  is  too  far 
ahead  if  sheet  is  not  up  to  guides.  Set  these  so  if  sheet  is 
one  card  away  from  bottom  guides  this  point  will  drop  in 
notch  and  cause  press  to  trip  and  stop,  for  register  work; 
other  work,  this  need  not  be  set  so  close. 


176 


AUTOMATIC  FEEDING 


Delivery  Trip.  This  top  spring  should  just  miss  trip¬ 
ping  by  one-eighth  of  an  inch,  which  will  be  sure  and  trip 
press  if  sheet  buckles  up  in  the  delivering  of  sheet. 


Tail  Clamps.  Hold  under  sheet,  and  prevent  its  being 
fed.  These  should  miss  the  back  edge  of  sheet  which  is  to  be 
fed  by  one-fourth  of  an  inch;  they  are  directly  in  back  of 
combers  and  keep  the  second  sheet  from  being  combed  down. 

To  Secure  Register.  Have  the  “duck  feet,”  or  guide 
guards  close  to  sheet,  just  so  it  touches.  Have  them  shaped 
same  as  tongue,  and  have  them  straddle  the  guide,  so  sheet 
can  not  buckle.  They  tend  to  hold  sheet  during  that  unit  of 
time  when  guide  raises  for  grippers  to  take.  They  will 
act  as  drop  guides. 


PAPERMAKING 


BY 

Joseph  T.  Alling 

TWO  thousand  years  before  Christ  it  was  discovered 
that  a  substance  well  adapted  to  take  and  preserve 
writing  could  be  taken  from  a  plant  that  fringed  the  banks 
of  the  River  Nile,  and  it  is  this  plant,  the  Papyrus,  that  has 
given  paper  its  name;  while  its  Greek  name,  Byblos,  is  trans¬ 
ferred  into  our  language  in  the  word  “Bible.” 

The  papyrus  is  a  reed  or  water  plant,  with  a  slender  stem, 
from  half  an  inch  to  an  inch  in  diameter,  rising  in  height 
from  ten  to  fifteen  feet,  and  crowned  with  a  brush  or  plume 
of  fine  green  filaments,  reminding  one  of  the  rise  of  a  rocket 
and  its  sudden  explosion  in  mid-air.  This  stem  is  covered 
with  layer  after  layer  of  thin,  whitish  cellulose,  very  much 
as  an  onion  is  covered  with  a  succession  of  closely  wrapped 
coats  or  peelings.  The  stem  was  slit  down  the  edge  and  the 
layers  peeled  off,  straightened  out,  laid  side  by  side,  and 
glued  together.  Across  these,  at  right  angles,  another  series 
of  strips  was  laid,  with  the  grain  running  the  other  way, 
to  prevent  splitting,  and  the  whole  was  pressed  into  a  hard, 
smooth  sheet.  Rolls  of  this  papyrus,  thirty  feet  in  length, 
have  been  found  thickly  covered  with  writing,  and  though 
these  have  grown  brown  and  brittle  with  age,  they  are  in 
better  condition  than  much  of  the  modern  paper  will  be  a 
thousand  or  even  a  hundred  years  hence.  So  valuable  was 
this  manufactured  papyrus  considered  that  one  of  the  kings 
of  Egypt  proposed  to  maintain  his  army  from  the  sale  of  it. 


PAPER-MAKING 


178 

The  great  columns  in  the  Hypostyle  Hall  of  Karnak  are 
crowned  in  alternate  rows  with  capitals  made  to  resemble 
the  lotus  bud  and  the  spreading  head  of  the  papyrus  plant, 
and  these  two  plants  furnish  the  motive  of  nearly  all  the 
columns  and  capitals  in  Egypt.  This  famous  plant  is  today 
entirely  unknown  in  Egypt,  and  is  known  to  exist  naturally 
in  only  three  places;  in  Abyssinia,  at  Syracuse  in  Sicily,  and 
in  the  marshes  about  the  waters  of  the  Merom,  north  of 
the  Sea  of  Galilee. 

The  endeavor  to  get  some  substance  that  would  take 
writing  more  uniformly  and  preserve  it  more  safely  than 
papyrus  led  to  the  use  of  parchment,  first  manufactured  in 
Pergamos,  one  of  the  “seven  cities”  of  the  Book  of  Revela¬ 
tions,  and  from  this  city  the  product  took  its  name,  parch¬ 
ment.  This  was  the  usual  material  for  manuscripts  till  about 
the  fifteenth  century,  when  it  first  began  to  be  superseded 
in  the  countries  of  Europe  by  the  newly  introduced  product 
known  as  paper. 

The  oldest  piece  of  paper  is  one  which  dates  to  the 
year  399  a.d.  This  was  found  near  the  Turfan  Oasis,  in 
Asia.  The  oldest  piece  of  European  paper  is  a  letter  of 
Adelaide,  third  wife  of  Roger  I,  Count  of  Sicily,  written 
about  1109. 

Though  newly  introduced  into  Europe,  paper  was  not  a 
new  product.  It  is  said  to  have  been  first  made  by  a  China¬ 
man,  Tsai  Sun,  at  about  the  time  of  Christ.  For  some  seven 
hundred  years  its  manufacture  was  known  only  to  the 
Chinese,  until  the  Arabs  captured  Samarkand,  704,  a.d. 
and  found  there  a  well-established  paper-making  industry. 
For  many  centuries  the  Arabs  and  Moors  were  the  paper- 
makers  of  the  world,  for  they  cherished  the  trade  as  part  of 
the  art  of  the  scholar,  and  as  necessary  to  the  intellectual  life. 


PAPER-MAKING 


179 


In  the  fourteenth  century  its  manufacture  appeared  in 
the  north  of  Italy,  where  all  the  paper  for  the  early  German 
printers  was  made.  In  1687  its  manufacture  was  introduced 
into  England  by  the  Huguenot  immigrants,  and  three  years 
later  the  first  paper  mill  was  built  in  America  at  George¬ 
town  on  the  Delaware. 

Up  to  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century,  all  papers 
were  made  by  hand,  and  indeed,  a  little  is  still  made  in  this 
way  in  England,  Italy,  France,  and  in  this  country,  for 
special  works  of  art;  while  in  Japan  certain  grades,  made 
from  fibers  peculiar  to  that  country,  are  made  by  hand 
with  a  perfection  that  is  little  short  of  marvelous. 

In  the  hand  process  of  paper  making,  the  prepared  pulp, 
mixed  with  plenty  of  water,  is  lifted  upon  a  piece  of  wire 
cloth  stretched  on  a  frame.  The  frame  is  shaken,  the  water 
drips  through  the  wire,  and  the  pulp,  left  in  a  thin  sheet  on 
its  surface,  is  transferred  to  a  piece  of  felt  to  be  dried  and 
pressed.  The  thickness  is  regulated  by  the  skill  with  which 
the  workman  takes  more  or  less  of  the  pulp  upon  his  frame, 
and  paper  made  in  this  way  can  not  well  be  as  uniform  as 
machine-made  sheets. 

We  come  now  to  the  modern  method  of  making  paper. 
Assuming  that  it  is  to  be  made  of  rags,  let  us  look  for  a 
moment  at  the  great  bales  in  which  they  are  brought  to  the 
mills.  Varying  in  size  from  300  to  600  pounds,  these  bales  are 
uncouth  and  unsavory  objects.  In  addition  to  the  rags 
which  are  gathered  in  this  country,  over  4,000,000  pounds  of 
rags  were  imported  in  1912,  coming  from  all  parts  of  the 
world.  They  are  the  catch-all  of  everywhere;  the  palace 
and  the  poorhouse  have  contributed  to  their  store.  The 
dirty  blues  and  whites  of  oriental  peasants  are  pressed 
against  fine  linens  and  embroideries  that  have  seen  service 


i8o 


PAPER-MAKING 


in  the  gayest  capitals  of  Europe.  One  becomes  almost 
dizzy  at  the  thought  of  the  genesis  of  the  stuff  collected 
within  the  bands  of  burlap  and  wire  that  hold  the  bales 
together. 

The  bales  having  been  cut  open,  the  rags  are  run  through 
a  revolving  cylinder  known  as  “the  thrasher,”  fitted  with 
rotating  wooden  arms,  designed  to  dislodge  some  of  the 
dirt  with  which  many  of  them  are  heavily  loaded.  This 
dirt  having  been  carried  off  by  suction  tubes,  the  rags  are 
next  sorted  by  hand,  the  buttons,  hooks  and  eyes,  rubber 
fabrics,  and  close,  hard  seams  that  might  hold  dirt,  are  cut 
out  by  women  seated  at  tables  around  a  big  light  loft.  This 
is  the  dirtiest  part  of  the  mill,  and  the  part  where  disease 
sometimes  develops  from  infected  rags.  Next  they  are  cut 
by  a  chopping  machine  into  pieces  an  inch  or  an  inch  and  a 
half  square,  and  then  put  through  an  iron  cylinder  known 
as  the  “devil”  or  “whipper,”  where  they  are  dashed  about 
by  a  multitude  of  iron  spikes  which  knock  out  as  much  more 
dirt  as  possible  by  shaking  and  tearing  the  material.  They 
next  pass  into  a  wire-covered  revolving  cone,  where,  as 
they  are  tumbled  about,  a  strong  draft  of  air  draws  away 
the  loosened  dust  and  dirt.  All  these  different  processes  are 
efforts  to  get  rid  of  dirt  and  refuse  by  mechanical  means, 
and  when  we  reflect  again  from  what  sources  great  quan¬ 
tities  of  the  cheaper  grades  of  rags  come,  it  will  be  realized 
that  the  methods  are  necessary  in  order  to  secure  any 
degree  of  cleanliness  in  the  product. 

But  the  work  of  cleaning  has  only  begun.  Rags  are  of 
all  shades,  stained  and  discolored,  yet  out  of  them  must 
come  a  pure  white  or  delicately  tinted  fabric,  so  they  are 
1  oaded  into  great  iron  boilers  or  digesters,  which  hold  from 
five  to  ten  tons  each.  These  boilers  are  charged  with  a 


PAPER-MAKING 


181 


mixed  solution  of  lime  and  soda,  and  then,  after  closing  up 
the  manholes,  steam  is  turned  on  and  under  pressure  of 
about  40  pounds,  the  great  digester  turns  on  its  axis  for 
twelve  to  fourteen  hours. 

It  is  here  that  the  cleaning  process  begins  in  earnest,  for 
this  scalding  bath  of  steam-heated  lime  water  in  which  the 
mass  of  rags  is  tumbled  about  for  a  long  time  loosens  the 
colors,  the  starch,  grease,  glue  or  any  impurities  the  rags 
contain.  After  being  emptied  out,  the  dirty  mass  is  allowed 
to  drain  and  then  is  shovelled  into  what  are  known  as 
“washing  engines.”  These  are  great,  oval-shaped  tubs 
about  twenty-five  feet  long  by  nine  feet  broad  and  three 
to  four  feet  deep,  capable  of  holding  from  one  to  two  thous¬ 
and  pounds  of  rags  each. 

Each  tub  is  divided  for  twro-thirds  of  its  length  by  an 
upright  partition  which  makes  a  course  around  the  vat 
like  a  race  course  around  a  driving  park.  Across  this  narrow 
course  on  one  side  of  the  tub  is  placed  a  heavy  iron  roll 
three  to  four  feet  in  diameter,  carrying  on  its  surface  as  it 
revolves,  iron  bars  or  shears  which  work  against  other  iron 
bars  laid  across  the  bottom  of  the  tub  in  such  an  arc  that 
they  fit  closely  against  the  lower  portion  of  the  revolving 
roll.  Between  these  two  sets  of  bars  or  shears,  the  rags  are 
carried  over  and  over  again  for  hours,  being  cut  and  torn 
to  pieces  and  reduced  to  a  state  of  pulp,  while  all  the  time 
a  great  stream  of  clear,  clean  water  is  being  poured  into  the 
tub,  and  carried  off  through  sieves  that  hold  back  the  rags, 
but  wash  away  the  dirt.  This  water  supply  is  one  of  the 
important  factors  in  determining  the  location  of  a  paper 
mill.  A  clean,  soft  water  is  most  desirable,  and  while  hard, 
dirty  water  can  be  wonderfully  softened  and  purified  by  the 
enormous  filters  which  are  installed  in  some  of  the  great 


1 82 


PAPER-MAKING 


mills,  no  expense  is  spared  to  get  pure  water  from  a  spring 
or  driven  well.  Some  of  the  famous  papers  of  Germany  and 
France  are  believed  to  owe  their  peculiar  properties  to  the 
spring  water  with  which  they  are  made;  while  Massachuetts 
and  Wisconsin  have  become  famous  for  their  fine  papers, 
partly  because  the  spring  water  coming  off  the  granite 
underlying  rocks  is  more  nearly  neutral  chemically  and  less 
impregnated  with  lime  than  the  streams  and  springs  of 
other  portions  of  the  country. 

As  the  fibres  whiten  and  the  water  clears,  the  roll  is 
lowered  closer  and  closer  to  the  bed  plate  beneath  it,  in 
order  to  open  up  the  fibers  more  thoroughly  for  the  free 
circulation  of  the  water  among  them.  After  a  few  hours  the 
water  is  shut  off,  and  a  bleaching  solution  is  put  into  the 
mass,  which  after  a  few  more  hours  of  mixing  and  grinding 
becomes  clear  and  white.  The  dirty  off-scourings  of  ragdom 
from  the  four  quarters  of  the  globe  have  become  clean  and 
sweet  and  are  ready  to  be  made  into  paper. 

All  the  processes  up  to  this  point  have  been  merely  to 
clean  the  fibers;  but  from  now  on  the  processes  are  chiefly 
intended  to  prepare  and  treat  the  fibers  so  as  to  make  the 
desired  quality  of  paper. 

As  the  first  step  in  this  direction  the  pulp,  which  is  now 
called  “half  stuff,”  is  emptied  out  of  the  washing  engines 
into  stone  or  brick  rooms  called  drainers,  where  the  water 
and  bleach  gradually  drain  off,  and  leave  the  fibers  white 
and  compact.  It  may  not  be  uninteresting  to  note  that  if 
the  half  stuff  is  hurried  out  of  these  drainers  in  a  few  days 
instead  of  being  allowed  to  remain  two  or  three  weeks  or 
longer,  the  paper  made  from  it  is  more  apt  to  curl  when 
being  printed,  and  it  is  likely  to  develop  a  fuzzy  surface, 
caused  by  the  fine  fibers  that  refuse  to  lie  down  in  the  sheet 


PAPER-MAKING  183 

of  paper,  and  that  persist  in  sticking  out  in  all  directions 
like  a  shock  of  unruly  and  unbrushed  hair. 

From  the  drainers  the  “half  stuff”  is  taken  up  to  the 
beating  engines.  These  are  almost  the  same  in  design  as  the 
washing  engines,  and  the  pulp  is  again  mixed  with  water 
and  beaten  by  the  revolving  iron  bars,  until  it  acquires  the 
desired  fineness.  It  is  during  this  process  that  the  quality 
of  the  paper  is  determined  more  fully  than  in  any  other 
part  of  its  manufacture.  Here  different  qualities  of  the  rag 
stock  are  mixed  to  produce  certain  results  of  quality  or  price. 

Here,  too,  if  at  all,  adulterants  are  put  in  and  beaten 
together  till  they  are  thoroughly  mixed.  When  desired,  clay 
is  introduced  to  increase  the  weight  of  the  paper,  or  to  im¬ 
prove  its  surface,  and  here,  too,  coloring  matter  is  mixed 
with  the  pulp  to  produce  tinted  or  colored  papers.  It  may 
not  be  generally  known  that  paper  without  any  coloring 
whatever  would  turn  out  a  creamy  shade,  and  that  it  is 
necessary  to  add  ultramarine  blue  to  the  pulp  to  get  a  clear, 
bright  white,  just  as  a  housewife  adds  bluing  to  the  wash  to 
improve  its  color.  The  cream  color  which  bleached  paper 
assumes  is  partly  due,  also,  to  the  sizing  of  resin  which  is 
added  in  the  beating  engine  and  which  helps  to  make  the 
finished  paper  hard  and  fit  for  pen  and  ink,  or  for  the  many 
other  purposes  -where  an  unsized  paper  would  be  worthless. 
All  these  processes  of  cleaning,  washing,  bleaching  and 
beating  are  more  or  less  destructive  of  the  fibers  so  that  a 
shrinkage  of  from  twenty-five  to  fifty  per  cent  occurs  before 
the  pulp  is  ready  to  be  made  into  paper.  In  old  rags  the 
loss  is  much  greater  than  when  newer  rags  are  being  worked 
but  even  new  cuttings  or  clippings  from  shirt,  shoe  or 
awning  factories  lose  a  considerable  percentage  of  their 
weight. 


PAPER-MAKING 


184 

Our  rag  stock  is  now  ready  to  leave  the  beaters  and  go 
down  into  great  cisterns  known  as  the  “stuff  chests,”  where 
revolving  paddles  keep  it  mixed  and  moving  till  the  paper¬ 
making  machine  is  ready  to  receive  it.  On  the  way  from  the 
stuff  chest  to  this  machine  a  final  attempt  is  made  to  free  it 
from  dirt  and  impurities  of  all  kinds.  It  flows  over  what  are 
known  as  “sand  tables,”  a  series  of  troughs  provided  with 
cross-pieces  forming  grooves  or  pockets  to  catch  sand  or 
dirt.  In  many  mills  a  series  of  powerful  electro  magnets  are 
provided  to  pick  out  any  bits  of  metal  that  may  have  been 
left  in  the  rags,  and  which,  if  not  found,  would  damage  the 
calender  rolls,  or,  if  too  small  for  that,  would  produce  what 
are  known  as  rust  spots  in  the  paper.  Then  it  is  forced 
through  a  horizontal  steel  plate,  pierced  with  very  fine  slots, 
which  for  the  finer  grades  of  paper,  are  only  a  hundredth  of 
an  inch  in  width  and  about  a  quarter  of  an  inch  apart. 
Through  these  tiny  openings  the  fibers  must  find  their  way, 
leaving  behind  them  at  this  “strait  gate”  all  lumps,  strings 
or  knots  which  have  failed  to  be  perfectly  beaten  out,  and 
which  would  mar  the  perfection  of  the  finished  product. 
In  spite  of  all  these  precautions  to  insure  purity,  specky 
or  dirty  paper  is  no  uncommon  thing,  and  the  two  things 
that  paper-makers  find  it  most  difficult  to  guard  against 
are  coal  dust  and  India  rubber.  The  stream  of  pulp  is  now 
about  the  consistency  of  milk,  and  it  is  difficult  to  believe 
that  it  contains  separate  fibers  in  sufficient  quantities  to 
make  a  firm,  strong,  substantial  sheet  of  paper.  But  the 
critical  moment  is  at  hand,  for  it  is  pumped  out  in  an 
even  stream  upon  a  traveling,  endless  belt  of  fine  wire  cloth 
which  carries  it  forward  at  a  speed  varying  from  one  inch  a 
second  when  making  heavy  bristol  boards  to  nearly  ten  feet 
a  second  for  common  newspaper. 


PAPER-MAKING 


185 

As  this  wire  cloth  moves  forward  it  is  shaken  from  side  to 
side  in  order  to  interlock  and  mat  the  fibers,  while  the  water 
drips  through  the  meshes  of  the  wire,  or  is  drawn  out  by 
suction  pumps  beneath  it.  The  thickness  of  the  sheet  is 
determined  entirely  by  the  amount  of  pulp  which  is  pumped 
on  to  this  traveling  wire,  along  the  edges  of  which  run  rubber 
guides  called  “deckles,”  which  keep  the  pulp  from  spilling 
over. 

The  rough  edges  of  paper  are  called  deckle  edges.  They 
are  made  by  the  leakage  of  pulp  under  these  rubber  straps, 
which  thus  leaves  a  thin  and  uneven  edge  on  the  sheet, 
which  is  not  always  trimmed  off. 

If  paper  is  watermarked,  it  is  done  at  this  point.  While 
the  pulp  is  still  moist  and  soft,  it  runs  under  a  revolving  wire 
roll,  to  the  surface  of  which  the  desired  letters  or  designs  are 
attached.  This  roll  is  called  a  “dandy  roll.”  The  impress¬ 
ions  thus  made  on  the  pulp  are  not  obliterated  by  all  the 
subsequent  pressing  and  calendering  which  the  paper 
receives,  but  can  be  seen  at  any  time  by  holding  the  sheet  up 
to  the  light.  The  matted  pulp  is  still  much  too  fragile  to 
travel  alone,  and  hence  is  delivered  to  an  endless  belt  of 
moist  felt,  and  carried  between  a  series  of  heavy  rollers 
which  squeeze  still  more  water  out  of  it,  and  finally  deliver 
it  to  a  row  of  iron  cylinders  which  are  steam-heated  to  a 
temperature  necessary  to  turn  the  paper  out  dry  at  the 
farther  end. 

A  magical  change  has  been  effected  in  a  few  minutes  of 
time,  and  within  a  space  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet,  for 
these  millions  of  independent,  delicate  fibers,  forming  milk- 
white  fluid,  have  been  compacted  into  a  fabric  that  is 
uniform,  tenacious  and  hard,  and  that  possesses  much  more 
strength  than  is  ordinarily  supposed. 


PAPER-MAKING 


1 86 

After  drying  the  paper,  it  only  remains  to  pass  it 
through  rolls  of  steel  or  chilled  iron  called  calenders,  which 
give  it  its  finish,  and  then  cut  it  into  sheets  or  wind  it  up  in 
great  rolls  for  use  on  the  modern  web  presses.  When  the 
paper  in  question  is  news  print,  each  roll  contains  from  three 
to  five  miles  of  paper. 

Where  a  high  finish  is  required,  instead  of  passing  the 
paper  between  iron  rolls,  every  other  roll  in  the  stack  is 
itself  made  of  sheets  of  paper  set  upon  an  iron  core,  subject 
to  hydraulic  pressure  to  solidify  it  and  then  turned  to  a  true 
and  solid  roll  in  a  lathe.  The  combination  of  steel  and  paper 
rolls  gives  the  highly  finished  article  known  as  super- 
calendered  paper. 

But  while  that  process  is  entirely  ample  for  the  ordinary 
kinds  of  paper,  it  does  not  make  a  paper  hard  enough  to 
stand  acid  or  to  permit  erasures.  For  all  the  better  grades 
of  writing  papers  there  is  an  additional  method  of  sizing 
employed  that  gives  the  desired  result. 

Less  of  the  resin  is  introduced  into  the  pulp,  but  after  the 
sheet  has  been  made  and  dried,  it  is  run  through  a  bath  of 
liquid  gelatin,  made  from  clippings  of  hides,  horns  and 
hoofs,  mixed  with  discolored  alum  and  applied  hot.  Enough 
of  this  sizing  is  absorbed  to  make  the  paper  resist  the  action 
of  ink  in  any  climate,  although  in  hot  and  muggy  summer 
weather  this  sizing  softens  enough  to  allow  some  of  the  ink 
to  pass  through  papers  which  otherwise  are  hard. 

Paper  that  has  been  through  such  a  bath  of  glue  is  called 
“tub  sized,”  in  distinction  from  that  sized  with  resin  in  the 
beating  engine  which  is  called  “engine  sized.”  In  order  to 
dry  the  paper,  as  it  comes  wet  out  of  the  bath  of  sizing,  the 
sheets  are  taken  up  into  great  steam-heated  drying  lofts, 
where  they  are  hung  over  poles  in  bunches  of  about  six  sheets. 


PAPER-MAKING 


187 

The  dried  sheets  are  then  put  into  presses  to  flatten 
them  out,  and  are  run  between  paper  and  steel  rolls,  as 
above  described  in  order  to  give  them  a  glossy  finish.  The 
majority  of  writing  papers  are  made  in  this  way  and  are 
called  “loft  dried”  or  “pole  dried.” 

There  are  two  ways  of  making  very  heavy  sheets  of 
paper;  one,  by  pasting  light  sheets  together  after  they  have 
been  made  and  dried,  and  the  other  is  by  taking  a  series  of 
light  sheets  on  connecting  machines,  and  while  they  are 
still  moist,  combining  them  into  one  thick  sheet.  The  ma¬ 
chines  that  do  this  are  called  “cylinder”  machines.  Instead 
of  pouring  the  water  and  pulp  on  to  a  traveling  wire  cloth, 
this  wire  gauze  is  stretched  around  a  cylinder  several  feet 
in  diameter,  which  revolves  in  a  vat  filled  with  the  watery 
pulp.  From  the  inside  of  this  cylinder,  the  air  is  exhausted 
enough  to  draw  the  water  through  its  wire  covering,  leaving 
a  thin  layer  of  pulp  on  its  revolving  surface  as  it  comes  to 
the  top  of  the  vat. 

Machines  designed  for  very  thick  papers  are  fitted  with 
several  of  these  wire-covered  cylinders,  so  that  the  thin 
sheets  which  they  produce  can  be  combined,  forming  one  of 
the  desired  thickness.  In  this  way  papers  are  made  that 
have  a  colored  sheet  on  the  surface  and  a  white  one  inside, 
or  have  a  firm,  clear  outside  and  a  cheap  stock  inside. 

The  so-called  “linen  papers,”  then,  are  made  of  a  mix¬ 
ture  of  linen  and  cotton  rags,  and  if  the  cotton  rags  are  new 
and  hard,  they  make  a  better  article  than  if  the  finest  linen 
of  the  English  aristocracy  had  been  the  only  material  used. 
The  thin  yellow  tissue  which  railroads  use  for  manifolding 
their  way  bills  is  made  of  linen  stock  exclusively. 

Government  bills  are  made  of  cotton  and  linen  with  a 
stream  of  colored  silk  fiber  dusted  into  the  wet  pulp  before 


PAPER-MAKING 


1 88 

it  is  pressed  and  dried.  This  makes  counterfeiting  difficult. 

Straw,  too,  has  first-class  paper-making  fiber  in  it,  and 
from  2,000  to  5,000  tons  of  paper  are  made  every  day  in 
this  country  from  straw  alone.  This  is  usually  the  cheap, 
coarse,  yellow  paper  that  butchers  use  for  wrapping  meat, 
or  the  heavy  yellow  strawboard  that  paper  boxes  are  so 
often  made  of.  The  fiber  is  cheap,  hard  and  stiff,  and  is 
admirably  suited  for  these  purposes.  Straw  fiber  can  be 
made  most  beautifully  white  if  time  and  expense  are  put 
upon  it. 

Wood  is  used  in  paper-making  in  four  different  forms: 
mechanically  ground;  chemically  prepared  by  the  soda 
process;  chemically  prepared  by  the  sulphate  process;  and 
chemically  prepared  by  the  sulphite  process. 

The  Sulphite  Process.  The  best  wood  for  making 
paper  is  spruce.  It  comes  from  the  forest  in  four-foot  logs 
about  eight  inches  in  diameter,  and  is  piled  in  the  open  to 
season.  (The  best  spruce  is  obtained  from  Canada  and  Min¬ 
nesota.)  The  bark  is  of  no  use  and  is  removed  by  soaking 
and  falling  from  a  height  of  about  one  hundred  feet  through 
a  series  of  tumblers. 

The  knots  are  chopped  out  and  the  logs  pass  down 
against  a  great  chipping  wheel  that  cuts  the  wood  into 
pieces  about  an  inch  square  and  an  eighth  of  an  inch  thick. 
The  chips  are  all  screened,  the  large  pieces  going  back  to  the 
chipper,  while  the  ones  that  are  too  small  are  mixed  with 
the  knots  and  used  to  make  a  cheap  grade  of  wrapping 
paper. 

The  chips  are  then  conveyed  into  a  large  bin  above  the 
digesters.  The  digesters  are  great  iron  tanks,  holding  ten 
tons  each.  In  these  tanks  the  spruce  wood  is  cooked  with 
sulphurous  acid  for  from  twelve  to  fourteen  hours.  The 


PAPER-MAKING 


189 

sulphurous  acid  is  made  by  burning  sulphur  and  allowing 
the  fumes  to  pass  through  limestone.  The  acid  is  thoroughly 
washed  from  the  pulp,  as  it  passes  into  the  screen  room.  As 
it  goes  over  the  “riflers”  it  is  cut  into  its  individual  fibers 
by  the  fine  knives  at  the  bottom  of  the  trough.  Plenty  of 
water  is  used  in  every  operation,  and  the  fibers  are  carried 
along  in  the  current.  In  the  next  room  the  bleaching  agent, 
chloride  of  lime,  is  introduced.  The  pulp  moves  slowly  in 
the  big  vats,  and  when  held  in  the  hands  and  the  water 
squeezed  out  it  resembles  snow.  The  beaters  are  hugh  tubs 
with  a  wheel  containing  sharp  knives  at  one  side,  and  into 
these  the  pulp  next  goes.  The  desired  quantity  of  dye  is 
put  in  and  the  motion  of  the  wheel  carries  everything  in  a 
circle,  cutting  and  mixing  the  dye  with  the  fibers. 

The  “stuff”  is  now  ready  for  the  paper  machine. 

Enamel  Papers.  The  wealth  of  illustration  in  our  mod¬ 
ern  periodicals  is  rendered  possible  by  the  perfection  of 
the  art  of  the  paper-maker  as  well  as  by  the  skill  of  the 
photo-engraver,  for  it  would  be  entirely  impossible  to  pro¬ 
duce  the  present  results  upon  the  very  best  made  paper 
twenty  years  ago.  So  prominent  a  part  does  illustration 
play  in  modern  letters  that  a  few  words  may  not  be  out  of 
place  on  the  method  of  preparing  the  paper  for  it.  It  is 
almost  entirely  a  matter  of  surface  treatment,  for  the  fine 
lines  produced  in  photo-engraving  could  not  be  shown  on  a 
page  of  rough  paper.  Much  is  done  by  the  calenders  and 
supercalenders  to  squeeze  down  the  surface  of  the  paper 
and  make  it  smooth,  but  a  magnifying  glass  shows  the 
smoothest  of  such  surfaces  to  be  full  of  the  inequalities  left 
by  the  wire  cloth  upon  which  the  paper  was  formed.  These 
can  not  be  removed,  no  matter  how  hard  they  are  calen¬ 
dered;  so  the  modern  paper-maker  proceeds  to  fill  them 


PAPER-MAKING 


190 

with  a  surface  coating  of  day.  The  best  clay  is  brought  from 
near  Cornwall,  England,  and  is  imported  in  enormous 
quantities.  This  clay  is  ground  down  to  the  fineness  of  fine 
wheat  flour  and  is  mixed  with  glue  or  casein  in  a  solution 
of  about  the  consistency  of  milk,  the  addition  of  the  glue  or 
casein  being  to  render  the  clay  adhesive  when  applied  to  the 
surface  of  the  paper.  The  paper  to  be  coated  is  brought  to 
the  coating  machines  in  great  rolls,  its  surface  being  left 
uncalendered,  and  its  pulp  without  much  sizing,  so  that  the 
surface  coating  may  better  enter  the  pores  of  the  sheet  and 
be  less  in  danger  of  peeling  off  from  the  surface.  The  end 
of  the  roll  of  paper  is  passed  through  the  vat  containing  the 
coating  mixture,  then  between  rolls  which  spread  the  sticky 
solution  evenly,  then  between  two  sets  of  brushes,  one  above 
and  the  other  below,  which  oscillate  rapidly  for  the  purpose 
of  working  out  any  lumps  in  the  clay,  and  making  the  coat¬ 
ing  as  absolutely  uniform  as  possible.  These  sets  of  brushes 
are  of  different  fineness,  the  last  one  to  touch  the  paper 
being  of  the  finest  camel’s  hair  which  leaves  almost  no  mark 
on  the  coating.  The  sheet  now  leaves  the  machine  wet  and 
sticky  on  both  sides,  and  is  carried  through  the  air,  supported 
on  successive  blasts  of  hot  air  which  blow  up  under  it  at 
intervals  of  about  three  feet,  while  above  it  are  other  open 
mouths  into  which  powerful  vacuum  pumps  draw  air  so 
rapidly  that  the  paper  goes  fluttering  through  space  for 
perhaps  a  hundred  feet,  by  which  time  it  is  dry  enough  to  be 
caught  up  and  suspended  automatically  in  great  loops  on 
a  traveling  dryer  which  carries  it  slowly  through  a  long 
room,  heated  to  about  140°  Fahrenheit.  After  being 
thoroughly  dried,  it  is  run  through  the  calenders  several 
times  to  get  the  desired  finish,  and  then  is  cut  up  into  sheets. 
All  sheet  papers  are  sorted  and  counted  by  hand. 


Sequence  of  Processes  used  in  Paper  Making 


192  PAPER-MAKING 

Paper  has  three  important  elements:  1.  Body.  2.  For¬ 
mation.  3.  Finish. 

1.  Body  refers  to  the  material  from  which  it  is 
made. 

2.  Formation  is  the  method  of  handling  the  mater¬ 
ial  while  stock  is  being  made. 

3.  Finish:  wove  or  laid,  antique,  linen,  plated,  etc. 

The  strength  and  fineness  of  paper  depend  upon  length 

and  strength  of  cellulose  fibers.  The  finest  grade  of  paper  is 
made  from  linen  rags;  the  next  best  grade  is  made  of  cotton. 

Linen  finish  paper  is  made  by  placing  a  sheet  of  linen 
between  each  sheet  of  paper  and  putting  under  pressure. 

Plate  finish  is  made  by  placing  a  sheet  of  zinc  between 
each  sheet  and  passing  them  between  rollers. 

M.  F.,  which  is  the  abbreviation  for  machine-finish 
paper,  is  passed  through  very  tight  rollers. 

Antique  is  passed  through  loose  rollers. 

Coating  for  book  papers  is  made  of  clay  and  casein;  it 
resembles  a  creamy  substance.  After  it  is  dry,  it  passes 
through  a  stack  of  calenders  until  it  gets  a  high  finish. 

Laid  paper  has  a  ribbed  effect. 

S.  and  S.  C.  is  the  abreviation  for  sized  and  supercale- 
dered. 

Character.  Grain  is  formed  by  the  way  the  pulp 
travels.  Paper  folds  more  easily  with  the  grain. 

Right  Side  of  Paper.  Side  which  goes  next  to  wire,  will 
often  show  the  pattern  of  the  wire,  and  this  is  wrong  side. 
The  right  side  shows  no  wire  marks. 

The  pressman  should  know  papers  by  simply  seeing  or 
feeling,  and  what  inks  should  be  used  for  each. 

Printed  sheets  delivered  flat  to  the  customer  usually  are 
posters  and  dodgers. 


PAPER-MAKING 


193 

Printed  sheets  folded,  stitched  and  trimmed,  with  or 
without  cover,  become  pamphlets  or  booklets. 

Printed  sheets  folded,  sewed  and  trimmed,  with  a  cover, 
become  a  book. 

A  folded  sheet  ready  for  the  bindery  is  called  a  signature. 

The  most  accurate  method  of  figuring  less  than  500 
sheets  to  secure  the  cost:  double  the  weight  of  500  sheets, 
which  gives  the  weight  of  1000  sheets.  Multiply  weight  of 
1000  sheets  by  number  of  sheets  to  be  bought  and  multiply 
product  by  price  per  pound.  Point  off  five  decimal  places 
(divide  by  one  hundred  thousand)  and  the  result  equals 
cost  in  dollars  and  cents.  For  example,  the  cost  of  325 
sheets  of  25  x38 — 80  pounds  at  6  cents  per  pound.  Just 
forget  for  the  present  the  size,  but  double  the  weight  of  500 
sheets  to  figure  on  the  1000  basis;  for  instance,  2  x  80 — 160; 
160  times  325  equals  52,000  and  at  6  cents,  6  times  52,000 
will  give  you  312,000  with  five  places  to  point  off,  gives 
you  the  answer  or  cost  which  is  $3.12  for  325  sheets. 

Comparative  Weights.  To  ascertain  comparative 
weights  (when  comparative  weight  table  is  not  available): 
Multiply  the  width  by  the  length  of  size  desired,  thus  get¬ 
ting  the  number  of  square  inches  in  the  sheet;  then  multiply 
by  the  weight  of  the  known  or  basis  paper.  Divide  the 
product  obtained  by  the  square  inches  in  the  basis  or  known 
weight,  and  the  quotent  will  be  the  weight  of  the  size  desired. 

Given  25  x  38 — 60.  What  does  it  weigh  in  28  x  42? 

28  x  42  equals  1176,  no.  sq.  inches  in  desired  size. 

60  x  1176  equals  70560. 

25  x  38  equals  950,  no.  sq.  inches  in  given  size. 

70560  divided  by  950  equals  74.27,  or  the  weight  of 
28  x  42  equivalent  to  25  x  38 — 60. 


194 


PAPER-MAKING 


Cutting  Stock.  It  is  the  height  of  precaution  to  draw 
a  miniature  diagram,  before  attempting  to  cut  paper,  as 
oftentimes  one  can  secure  a  larger  number  of  copies  out  of 
a  sheet  by  cutting  various  ways.  See  diagram  below.  Or 


it  may  be  advisable  to  buy  another  size  stock  which  is  the 
equivalent  of  same  in  weight. 

Cover  Paper.  When  cutting  cover  stock  or  program 
stock  that  requires  folding,  try  to  cut  same  to  allow  the 
fold  to  come  with  the  grain ;  this  will  give  a  much  more  satis¬ 
factory  job,  and  it  will  not  be  apt  to  break  in  folding.  To 
discover  which  way  the  grain  runs  cut  two  narrow  strips, 
say  six  inches  long,  the  two  opposite  ways  of  stock;  mark 
them,  place  them  together,  hold  them  by  the  thumb  and 


PAPER-MAKING 


195 

index  finger  by  grasping  an  inch  or  so;  now  notice  if  the 
bottom  one  bends  down;  if  not  turn  them  over  and  repeat. 
The  one  that  hangs  or  bends  down  has  the  grain  running 
across  the  strip.  The  other  strip,  with  the  grain  running 
lengthwise,  is  enough  stiffer  to  carry  the  weight  of  both 
strips  when  they  are  held  horizontally.  Plan  the  fold  to 
run  parallel  with  the  grain. 

Bleeding.  Trimming  margins  of  printed  sheets  into 
the  printing  (as  on  cover,  etc.) 

Collating.  Examine  the  signatures  after  a  book  is 
gathered  to  see  that  they  are  arranged  in  consecutive  order. 
This  can  be  easily  accomplished  at  a  glance  by  imposing  in 
each  form  a  4-point  rule,  5  or  6  picas  long,  to  print  on  the 
back  of  each  signature;  and  when  the  signatures  are  gath¬ 
ered  in  correct  rotation  and  placed  on  a  pile,  the  printed 
rules  on  back  will  show  as  a  flight  of  stairs. 

Dummy.  Is  a  sample  book  of  only  blank  pages  made 
up  to  show  the  book  as  when  finished ;  sometimes,  a  printed 
page  or  two  pasted  up. 

Saddle  Stitched.  Is  a  pamphlet  or  booklet  which  is 
opened  in  the  middle  and  placed  on  stitcher  table  saddle 
fashion  and  stitched  with  wire  stitch;  each  signature  is 
wrapped  around  the  other. 

Side  Stitched.  Is  when  the  signatures  are  placed  on 
top  of  the  other  side  by  side  and  stitched  down  through. 

Counting  Stocks.  Counting  stock  is  done  by  placing 
the  left  hand  tightly  upon  the  paper,  and  grasping  approx¬ 
imately  seventy-five  sheets  with  the  right  hand  on  the 
corner  or  edge  of  the  paper.  Fan  it  out  with  thumb  and 
index  finger,  by  pinching  and  twisting  with  the  right 
hand,  then  with  the  thumb  of  the  left  hand  count  3  or  5  at  a 
time  and  hold  back  with  the  index  finger,  repeat  until  a 


PAPER-MAKING 


196 

hundred  are  counted;  lay  this  aside  and  continue  until  you 
have  500  sheets.  Most  all  stock  comes  with  ream  marks 
therein;  and  for  handling,  from  the  pressman’s  standpoint 
as  well  as  for  the  bindery,  all  stock  should  be  kept  in  reams. 

Jogging.  This  is  a  common  term  in  a  print  shop,  and  it 
applies  to  straightening  paper.  To  jog  paper,  put  the  sheets 
in  a  pile,  say  50  or  100,  the  length  being  from  left  to  right. 
Then  slip  the  fingers  of  each  hand  under  the  respective  ends 
of  the  pile,  the  thumb  lightly  resting  on  top;  now  bend  up 
the  ends  towards  each  other,  making  the  top  sheet  con¬ 
cave.  Pinch  the  thumbs  and  fingers  tightly  together,  and 
straighten  the  pile  back  to  a  plane;  the  lower  sheet  will  be 
smooth,  the  others  curved  out  away  from  it.  Lightly  lay 
the  stock  flat  on  table;  then  pick  up  and  stand  on  edges; 
repeat  this  until  all  edges  are  even  and  stock  is  straight; 
then  turn  paper  and  repeat  the  same  so  as  to  straighten  two 
sides;  now  lay  stock  down  carefully  and  with  one  hand 
brush  over  the  top  to  remove  air  from  between  sheets. 


WHAT  A  PRESSMAN  SHOULD  STUDY 
ABOUT  HAND  COMPOSITION 


PICKING  type  of  individual  letters  and  characters  from 
their  respective  compartments  in  the  case,  and  placing 
them  side  by  side  to  form  words,  in  a  receptacle  (called  a 
stick)  of  a  set  length  of  line,  is  called  hand  composition. 

Cases  are  wooden  trays,  about  32  x  17  inches,  divided 
into  a  sufficient  number  of  compartments,  or  boxes,  to 
accomodate  all  the  letters  of  the  alphabet,  including  the 
characters.  The  letters  are  so  arranged  that  the  most  used 
are  directly  in  front  of  the  compositor. 

Type  is  set  from  the  case,  and  placed  in  a  stick,  set  to 
the  desired  measure.  When  the  end  of  the  line  is  nearly 
reached,  the  remaining  space  is  divided  between  the  words 
to  fill  out  the  line,  and  keep  the  margins  even.  This  is 
called  justification.  When  the  type  is  set  in  lines  to  form 
readable  matter,  and  the  compositor’s  stick  is  full,  he 
places  the  type  on  trays,  called  galleys.  If  the  type  set  is 
for  display,  such  as  title  pages,  ads,  etc.,  they  are  spaced 
with  spacing  materials:  leads,  slugs,  reglets,  metal  and 
wooden  furniture.  This  spacing  is  to  distribute  the  white 
space  properly. 

After  the  job  has  been  composed  and  arranged  in  due 
order,  a  proof  is  taken,  and  this  is  submitted  to  the  proper 
person,  either  the  foreman  or  the  proofreader.  He  marks  all 
errors,  misspelled  words,  etc.,  with  proper  marks,  called 
proofreader’s  marks.  Corrections  are  then  made  by  re¬ 
placing  incorrect  type  with  correct  characters  If  there  is 


HAND  COMPOSITION 


198 

a  mistake  that  will  interfere  much  with  the  justification 
of  the  line,  the  entire  line  is  placed  into  the  stick  again  to 
make  the  change  and  rejustify. 

A  compositor  will  set  by  hand  from  600  to  800  ems 
per  hour,  depending  on  the  nature  of  the  work.  No  set 
amount  can  be  given  for  hand-set  type,  as  it  varies  so 
greatly  that  almost  every  job  is  a  problem  itself. 

When  copy  is  placed  into  the  hands  of  a  compositor, 
the  size  should  be  known,  kind  of  type,  and  width  of  meas¬ 
ure.  Most  jobs  are  given  to  the  workman  to  arrange  and 
design  himself;  of  course  the  style  of  type  is  determined  by 
the  nature  of  the  job. 

The  letters  “f”  and  “j”  in  most  styles  of  type,  and 
numerous  other  letters  in  script  and  italic,  project  over  the 
side  of  the  body.  These  are  called  kerned  letters,  and  require 
more  careful  handling  to  avoid  damage.  If  an  “  f  ”  is  placed 
beside  an  “i,”  on  locking  up,  the  kern  of  the  “f”  will  break 
off.  Therefore,  fi,  fl,  ff,  ffi  and  ffl  are  cast  on  one  body. 

Words  to  the  Square  Inch  of  Normal  Roman  Type 


5 pt.  solid  .... 

.  .  54 

10  pt.  solid . 

.  .  .21 

pt.  leaded  .  . 

.  .  42 

10  pt.  leaded. . .  . 

.  .  16 

6  pt.  solid . 

.  .  47 

12  pt.  solid . 

.  .  14 

6  pt.  leaded . 

.  .  34 

12  pt.  leaded. . .  . 

.  .  11 

8  pt.  solid . 

.  .  32 

18  pt.  solid . 

.  .  7 

8  pt.  leaded . 

.  .  23 

18  pt.  leaded. . .  . 

.  .  5 

Type  is  not  only  distinguished  by  its  style,  but  also  by 
its  sizes.  Type  is  made  up  in  series  which  begin  at  a  small 
size  and  advance  until  a  large  size  is  reached,  the  larger 
sizes  being  wood.  Type  is  cast  on  the  point  system,  the 
point  being  .0138  of  an  inch.  A  type  called  12-point  is  12  x 
.0138  or  .166  of  an  inch,  or  24-point  is  twice  as  large.  The 


HAND  COMPOSITION 


199 


smaller  sizes  of  type  have  their  own  name  by  which  they 
are  sometimes  recognized  instead  of  number;  for  instance, 
the  most  commonly  used  are: 


Agate . 

5^-point. 

Nonpareil . 

.  .  .  6-  point. 

Brevier . 

8-  point. 

Long  Primer. . .  . 

.  .  .  10-  point. 

Small  Pica . 

.  .  .  11-  point. 

Pica . 

.  .  .  12-  point. 

Pica,  or  12-point,  equals  approximately  1-6  of  an  inch. 
And  when  the  large  wooden  type  is  used  it  is  designated 
by  pica  lines.  So  6-line  type  would  mean  1-inch  type. 

Pica  and  em  do  not  mean  the  same.  Pica  means  12 
points  and  em,  which  is  the  square  of  the  body  of  the  type, 
can  mean  any  number  of  points.  For  example,  15  ems  of 
8-point  would  mean  there  were  120  points  of  type,  while 
15  ems  of  10-point  would  mean  there  were  150  points  of 
type.  It  is  used  mostly  for  measuring  different  sizes  of  type 
and  to  find  out  the  amount  of  type  in  a  page.  A  pica — or 
called  for  short,  “em” —  is  used  as  a  unit  in  printing  for 
measuring,  as  an  inch  is  used  in  construction.  Furniture, 
leads,  slugs,  etc.  are  designed  on  the  pica  basis,  as  are  also 
the  various  tools  used  in  the  composing  room. 

Type.  Point  size  is  the  width  of  type  body  measured 
columnwise.  Set  size  is  the  width  of  a  type  body  measured 
linewise. 

Type  high  is  the  height  from  the  bottom  to  the  very 
top,  .918  of  an  inch. 

One-point  leads — twelve  to  pica. 

Two-point  leads— six  to  pica. 

Six  picas  one  inch,  (lacking  .004  of  an  inch). 


200 


HAND  COMPOSITION 


Seventy-two  points  one  inch,  (lacking  .004  of  an  inch). 

The  Serif.  The  projections  at  the  top  and  bottom  of 
most  letters  are  known  as  serifs.  A  study  of  type  faces 
reveals  the  fact  that  the  serif  is  really  the  dominating  fea¬ 
ture  of  the  letter,  and  any  type  face  can  be  distinguished 
from  another  by  the  serif. 

Optical  Center.  It  is  conceded  by  all  designers  that  the 
optical  center  of  a  composition  is  not  at  the  geometrical 
center,  but  is  slightly  above  it.  Anything  placed  in  the 
exact  center  of  a  page  has  the  appearance  of  being  below 
the  center;  this  is  an  optical  illusion. 

Imposition.  Imposition  is  the  proper  placing  of  pages 
on  the  imposing  stone  to  be  locked  up  in  a  chase,  for  the 
press,  to  be  printed  and  folded  so  they  will  open  out  con¬ 
secutively. 

The  stoneman’s  instructions  tell  him  the  correct  head 
and  back  margins,  and  he  must  allow  for  trim  in  the  proper 
places.  The  front  and  tail  margins  are  determined  by  the 
size  of  the  sheet  the  form  is  to  be  printed  on,  with  allowance 
for  trim,  or  in  other  words  fit  the  paper.  If  the  sheet  is 
25  x  38,  the  bottom  of  the  outside  page,  to  the  bottom  of  the 
page  on  other  half  of  form,  or  across  chase  bar,  should  meas¬ 
ure  19  inches  or  exactly  one-half  of  the  sheet.  The  half  of 
the  width  of  sheet  should  measure  from  outside  of  the  side  of 
page,  to  the  very  side  of  page  in  the  other  half  of  form, 
across  the  bar  in  the  chase,  or  measure  12^  inches.  The 
open  space  is  then  filled  in  with  furniture,  allowing  for  trim 
front,  bottom  and  top,  three  sides  of  the  book. 

Forms  must  be  so  imposed  that  they  will  fold  correctly 
on  the  folding  machine.  When  you  print  a  given  number  of 
pages  on  one  side  of  sheet  and  then  back  up  this  same  sheet 
with  another  set  of  pages,  this  is  called  a  “sheetwise” 


HAND  COMPOSITION 


201 


form,  or  work  and  back.  Now,  if  you  print  a  form  of  pages 
and  then  turn  the  sheet  over  and  back  it  up  with  the  same 
form,  it  is  called  a  “work-and-turn.” 

It  is  the  stoneman’s  duty  to  mark  with  chalk,  the  grip¬ 
per  edge  of  chase,  and,  if  it  is  a  “sheetwise”  form,  mark  one 
end  of  the  chase  to  show  the  proper  place  for  side  guide; 
it  may  be  a  “draw  feed”  or  a  “push  feed.”  This  makes  a 
difference  when  it  comes  to  folding,  and,  too,  the  stoneman 
always  squares  his  form  from  the  grippers  and  guides. 

If  the  form  is  to  be  a  “  work-and-turn,”  he  should  mark 
the  gripper  edge  and  make  a  chalk  mark  on  the  center  bar 
running  parallel  with  the  top  of  pages.  This  tells  the  press¬ 
man  that  this  is  a  work-and-turn  form,  or  when  printed, 
it  will  have  two  complete  copies. 

Signatures  to  be  saddle  stitched  are  gathered  one  astride 
the  other.  When  the  stock  is  very  heavy,  or  where  there  are 
a  number  of  pages,  and  the  margins  are  to  be  small,  the 
stoneman  should  use  “graduated  margins,”  that  is,  he 
must  allow  more  space  between  the  outside  pages,  and  less 
for  the  inside  pages,  as  a  certain  amount  of  this  space  is 
used  to  wrap  around  the  inner  sections. 

The  proper  way  to  determine  this  is  to  make  a  dummy, 
using  the  same  stock  the  job  is  to  be  printed  on,  and  the 
correct  number  of  pages;  drive  a  fine  wire  nail  through 
the  book,  when  it  is  closed,  near  the  fold;  now  measure  the 
distance  between  the  nail  holes  on  the  outside,  and  on  the 
inside;  note  the  difference.  Begin  imposing  the  form  with 
this  additional  space  in  the  outside  margins,  and  gradually 
decrease  this  as  you  impose  the  inner  pages;  then  when  book 
is  folded  and  stitched  and  trimmed  the  page  margins  will 
be  equal. 


WHAT  A  PRESSMAN  SHOULD  STUDY 
ABOUT  THE  LINOTYPE 


THE  Linotype,  so-called  because  it  casts  a  “line  of 
type”  in  one  piece,  or  slug,  dates  from  1876,  when 
Charles  T.  Moore  exhibited  to  a  coterie  of  Washington 
shorthand  reporters,  among  them  James  O.  Clephane  and 
Andrew  Devnnie  ,a  printing  machine  on  which  he  had  been 
working  for  many  years,  in  an  effort  to  simplify  the  method 
of  transcribing  his  shorthand  notes.  For  ten  years  from 
that  time  these  men  worked  indefatigably  to  perfect  the 
machine,  but  their  progress  was  slow  and  finally  the  matter 
was  placed  in  the  hands  of  Ottmar  Mergenthaler,  who 
crystallized  it  and  in  1886  brought  into  being  the  first 
successful  Linotype,  though  the  machine  in  its  present 
highly  developed  stage  is  the  work  of  Philip  T.  Dodge,  John 
R.  Rogers,  and  others  connected  with  the  Mergenthaler 
Linotype  Company  since  its  early  days. 

The  Linotype  has  three  main  operations — assembling, 
casting,  and  distributing.  Each  of  these  operations  is 
carried  on  independently  of  the  others.  The  only  operative 
connection  between  them  is  the  transfer  of  the  matrices 
from  the  assembling  mechanism  to  the  casting  mechanism 
and  from  the  casting  mechanism  to  the  distributing  me¬ 
chanism.  One  or  more  of  these  sections  may  be  operated 
while  the  others  are  quiescent. 

Supported  in  an  inclined  position  is  a  magazine,  or  con¬ 
tainer,  having  91  channels  or  grooves  running  longitudinally 
from  front  to  back,  in  which  the  matrices  or  brass  dies  on 


LINOTYPE 


203 


which  the  characters  or  letters  are  stamped,  are  held.  Each 
matrix  has  two  characters,  a  Roman  and  a  bold  face,  or  a 
Roman  and  italic,  or  other  combination.  Matrices  to  rep¬ 
resent  all  the  characters  of  the  alphabet,  capitals  and  small 
letters,  figures,  punctuation  marks,  etc.,  are  contained  in  the 
magazine. 

The  keys  on  the  keyboard  correspond  in  order  with  the 
channels  or  characters  in  the  magazine.  When  a  key  is 
depressed  it  releases  a  cam  which  raises  a  key  rod,  which  in 
turn  connects  with  a  verge  having  two  pawls.  The  rocking 
of  the  verge  on  its  pivot  allows  the  pawls  to  release  the  first 
matrix  and  brings  the  second  matrix  in  position  for  the 
next  operation.  As  each  matrix  is  released,  it  drops  into 
the  assembling  elevator,  where  the  line  is  composed.  A 
device  on  the  assembling  elevator  which  can  be  raised  or 
lowered  at  the  will  of  the  operator  brings  either  a  light  face 
or  bold  face,  or  a  Roman  or  italic  character  into  position. 

For  spaces  between  words  long  steel  wedges  called 
spacebands  are  used.  They  are  thicker  at  the  bottom  than  at 
the  top.  Their  function  is  to  spread  or  justify  the  line  of 
matrices  evenly  when  a  lever  strikes  the  bottom  of  the 
spaceband  wedges  and  drives  them  up.  When  a  line  is 
filled  it  is  delivered  to  the  casting  mechanism  by  pressing 
a  lever,  which  automatically  starts  the  casting  mechanism. 

The  line  of  matrices  being  delivered  to  the  first  elevator 
is  carried  downward  to  the  casting  position  and  the  mold 
disc  which  carries  the  mold  in  which  the  lines  are  cast  moves 
forward  one-quarter  of  a  revolution  bringing  the  mold 
opposite  the  line  of  matrices  and  locking  it  against  the 
face  of  the  line  just  set.  The  metal  pot  then  locks  against 
the  rear  of  the  mold,  and  the  molten  metal  is  forced  by  a 
plunger  actuated  by  spring  tension  through  a  series  of  small 


204 


LINOTYPE 


holes  in  the  metal  pot  mouthpiece,  passing  into  the  mold 
against  the  line  of  matrices,  and  an  impression  is  made. 
The  metal  hardens  almost  immediately;  the  mold  disc  re¬ 
treats  and  making  three-quarters  of  a  revolution  brings  the 
slug  in  line  with  the  parallel  trimming  knives,  through  which 
the  slug  is  ejected  into  the  receiving  galley,  at  the  same 
time  trimming  both  sides  of  the  slug  to  make  it  of  uniform 
thickness.  The  bottom  of  the  slug  is  trimmed  so  as  to  make 
it  type  high  when  the  mold  disc  passes  with  the  line  over 
the  back  trimming  knife  before  coming  to  the  ejection 
position. 

Simultaneously  with  the  last  operation  the  first  ele¬ 
vator  ascends  with  the  line  of  matrices  and  the  second  ele¬ 
vator  or  arm  descends  from  its  normal  position  at  the  top  of 
the  machine,  the  two  elevators  meeting  at  a  point  where  the 
line  is  transferred.  Spacebands  are  automatically  carried  to 
their  proper  places  and  the  second  elevator  ascends  with 
the  matrices  to  the  distributor  and  the  matrices  are  shifted 
into  the  distributor  box,  where  the  matrices  are  lifted  sep¬ 
arately  on  parallel  rails  and  pass  to  revolving  screws  which 
carry  them  along  a  distributor  bar  until  they  reach  their 
proper  channel  when  they  automatically  drop  into  place  to 
be  used  over  and  over  again.  Each  matrix  has  a  series  of 
teeth  in  its  V-shaped  top,  called  combinations.  Each 
matrix  has  a  separate  combination,  and  the  distributor  bar 
being  notched  according  to  the  matrices,  releases  its  hold 
on  the  matrix  when  the  corresponding  combinations  meet. 
The  complete  operation  of  casting  a  line  requires  about  ten 
seconds,  and  the  machine  will  cast  from  six  to  seven  lines 
a  minute. 

Linotype  metal  is  a  combination  of  three  ingredients — 
lead,  antimony,  and  tin.  Metal  manufacturers  have  their 


LINOTYPE 


205 

private  formulae  for  mixing.  Lead  forms  the  basis  of  the 
Linotype  metal,  antimony  is  added  to  make  it  hard  and  to 
offset  shrinkage  of  the  lead  when  cooling,  and  tin  reduces 
the  fusing  point  of  the  mixture,  binds  the  lead  and  antimony 
firmly  together,  and  tends  to  produce  a  sharp  clear  type  face. 

Porous  or  spongy  slugs  are  caused  by  hot  metal,  vents 
in  the  mouthpiece  not  being  deep  enough  or  obstructed  with 
dross,  poor  metal,  or  some  part  of  the  passage  through 
which  the  metal  flows  being  clogged.  Imperfect  or  blurrred 
faces  are  caused  by  cold  metal,  a  cold  mouthpiece,  or  the 
holes  in  the  mouthpiece  being  partially  filled;  also  poor 
metal.  Anyone  having  a  knowledge  of  metal  can  judge  of  its 
quality  by  breaking  a  slug.  The  flaky  or  crystalline  ap¬ 
pearance  of  Linotype  slugs,  or  type,  when  broken,  may  be 
caused  by  too  much  antimony,  or  the  metal  not  being 
properly  mixed,  or  refined.  A  dark  appearance  usually 
denotes  lack  of  tin  and  antimony. 

From  S-point  to  42-point  can  be  set  on  the  Linotype, 
excepting  Models  1  and  K,  which  have  narrow  magazines 
and  do  not  accommodate  faces  larger  than  12-point.  There 
are  Linotypes  which  will  compose  type  up  to  60-point. 

The  average  speed  of  an  operator  on  a  Linotype  is  about 
5000  ems  per  hour  of  corrected  straight  matter. 

Since  there  are  a  number  of  different  models  of  Linotypes, 
it  is  difficult  to  determine  time  required  to  change  from  one 
magazine  of  one  size  type  to  another  size.  A  quick  change 
Linotype  having  two,  three  or  four  magazines  mounted  on 
the  machine  may  be  changed  in  three  seconds.  If  it  is 
necessary  to  remove  a  magazine  from  the  machine  and 
replace  it  with  another  or  to  run  out  a  set  of  matrices  and 
run  in  another  set  and  change  mold  liners  for  measure, 
considerable  more  time  is  required. 


WHAT  A  PRESSMAN  SHOULD  STUDY 
ABOUT  THE  MONOTYPE 


HE  Monotype  system  of  casting  and  composing  in^ 


JL  dividual  types  was  invented  by  Tolbert  Lanston  in 
1887,  and  developed  and  made  a  commercial  success  by  the 
Lanston  Monotype  Machine  Co.  It  consists  of  a  Key¬ 
board  and  a  Caster  with  the  auxiliary  equipment  of  an  air 
compressor.  A  metal  furnace  is  also  used  to  melt  and  re¬ 
fine  the  used  metal  and  form  it  into  “pigs”  again  for  re-use. 

The  Keyboard  and  Casting  Machine  are  absolutely 
independent  in  operation  and  may  be  located  together  or  at 
any  distance  apart.  The  separation  of  the  keyboard  from 
the  casting  mechanism  enables  the  compositor-operator  to 
give  his  entire  attention  to  the  uninterrupted  production  of 
composition  at  a  maximum  speed  with  a  minimum  effort 
on  any  class  of  work,  whether  it  be  intricate  tabular  com¬ 
position  or  plain  straight  matter,  on  a  keyboard  that  is  as 
simple  in  its  operation  and  as  easy  to  learn  as  any  stand¬ 
ard  typewriter. 

The  motive  power  of  the  keyboard  is  compressed  air. 
When  a  key  is  depressed,  two  punches  are  forced  up  through 
the  paper  ribbon  which  automatically  unwinds  from  the 
spool  at  the  top  of  the  board.  The  location  of  these  per¬ 
forations  across  the  ribbon  determines  the  characters  to  be 
cast  and  its  set  size  in  the  mold,  as  well  as  determining  the 
width  of  the  justifying  spaces  between  the  words,  but  have 
no  bearing  on  the  arrangement  of  characters  in  the  matrix 
case.  The  fact  is,  these  perforations  do  not  indicate  char- 


MONOTYPE 


207 


acters — they  simply  determine  positions  of  matrices  in  the 
matrix  caas.  When  the  key  is  released,  the  controller  ribbon 
is  advanced  automatically  to  the  position  to  receive  the 
perforations  for  the  next  character.  The  width  of  each 
character  or  space  in  the  line  is  automatically  recorded,  and 
when  the  line  is  approximately  filled  the  remaining  space 
is  automatically  measured  and  an  indicator  shows  the 
operator  what  justifying  keys  to  strike  to  swell  the  jus¬ 
tifying  spaces  to  fill  the  line.  As  the  composition  is  recorded 
on  the  controller  ribbon,  it  can  be  saved  for  re-casting  at  any 
future  time  instead  of  tying  up  and  storing  the  type. 

The  Monotype  Casting  Machine  is  entirely  automatic  in 
its  operation.  The  movements  of  the  matrix  case  over  the 
mold  and  the  set  sizes  of  the  type  cast  therein  being  con¬ 
trolled  by  the  paper  ribbon  from  the  keyboard.  Composi¬ 
tion  in  any  measure  up  to  60  picas,  and  in  sizes  from  5  to  24 
point,  are  composed  in  justified  lines  on  the  galley.  As  a 
type  and  rule  caster,  it  casts  type  for  the  cases  in  sizes  from 
5  to  36-point,  ornaments,  borders  and  spacing  material 
as  well  as  leads,  slugs  and  rules  in  strips  of  any  length,  in 
sizes  from  2  to  12-point. 

The  matrix  is  made  of  bronze  .2"  square;  in  its  lower 
end  is  driven  the  character  to  be  cast,  and  in  the  upper  end 
is  reamed  the  cone  hole  in  which  the  taper  end  of  the  cen¬ 
tering  pin  seats  to  bring  the  matrix  to  correct  type  line, 
while  in  casting  position,  and  to  hold  it  on  the  mold  while 
the  type  is  being  cast. 

The  matrices  are  carried  in  a  matrix  case ;  the  case  holds 
225  matrices  arranged  in  fifteen  rows  of  fifteen  characters 
each.  The  arrangement  of  the  matrices  is  made  up  to  suit 
the  work  in  hand.  The  case  usually  carries  Roman  caps, 
small  caps,  lower  case,  figures  and  points,  italic  caps,  lower 


208 


MONOTYPE 


case,  figures  and  points;  a  bold  face  may  be  substituted  in 
place  of  italic  or  small  caps,  as  required  in  the  work  to  be 
done.  The  matrices  are  arranged  in  the  matrix  case  accord¬ 
ing  to  the  width  of  the  characters,  the  width  being  desig¬ 
nated  by  a  unit  value.  The  cap  M  of  any  font  is  18  units, 
and  every  other  character  is  proportional  to  the  size  of  the 
cap  M.  The  condensation  or  fatness  of  a  face  is  expressed 
in  set,  for  example,  a  cap  M  (18  unit  character)  that  is  12- 
points  wide,  is  12  set. 

After  the  matrix  is  positioned  by  the  centering  pin  the 
sizing  of  the  type  is  accurately  determined  by  a  normal 
wedge  automatically  moved  to  the  position  to  give  the 
correct  unit  size  to  the  character  being  cast,  as  designated  by 
the  perforations  in  the  paper  ribbon.  The  pump  mechan¬ 
ism  then  operates  and  fills  the  mold  and  matrix  making  the 
type.  The  matrix  is  then  lifted  from  the  type  which  is  de¬ 
livered  into  the  channel  blocks  where  the  line  is  assembled, 
While  this  is  being  done,  the  matrix  for  the  next  character  is 
being  positioned  over  the  mold  for  the  next  cast.  These 
operations  follow  each  other  at  the  rate  of  140  per  minute, 
producing  140  finished  type  each  minute.  The  galley 
mechanism  is  operated  by  the  justification  keys  at  the  end 
of  each  line  and  delivers  the  finished  line  from  the  channel 
blocks  to  the  galley,  while  the  justification  wedges  are  being 
set  for  the  next  line  to  be  cast. 

Various  combinations  of  type  faces  may  be  made  by 
changing  the  matrices  carried  in  the  matrix  case,  and  sub¬ 
stituting  another  set  of  keybars  on  the  keyboard.  These 
changes  only  take  a  few  minutes  time. 

Owing  to  the  construction  of  the  Monotype  mold  it  is 
impossible  to  cast  type  of  varying  height.  Even  when  cor¬ 
rections  are  made  the  type  is  always  the  same  height. 


WHAT  A  PRESSMAN  SHOULD  STUDY 
ABOUT  PHOTOENGRAVING 

BY  the  term  photoengraving  we  mean  the  production 
of  printing  plates  having  images  in  relief  upon  the 
surface  of  metal,  these  images  being  obtained  by  a  series  of 
photographic  operations. 

There  are  two  classes  of  engravings,  known  as  line 
plates  or  zinc  etchings,  and  half-tone  plates,  the  former 
being  reproductions  of  subjects  only  of  lines,  dots  or  masses 
of  solid  black  and  white,  the  latter  having  intermediate 
tones  and  color  gradations.  The  three  principal  operations 
involved  are  negative  making,  etching,  finishing  and 
mounting. 

Wood  Engraving.  The  first  pictures  printed  on  the 
type  press  were  produced  by  wood  engravings.  This  art 
was  used  first  for  illustrating  printed  matter,  but  being 
tedious  and  expensive,  the  process  has  practically  been 
discontinued,  although  artists  and  lovers  of  the  art  carry  it 
on  to  a  certain  extent  as  a  hobby. 

On  a  piece  of  hard  boxwood  previously  planed  to  a 
smooth  surface  and  made  type  high,  the  wood  engraver 
sketched  the  object  of  which  an  engraving  was  to  be  made, 
and  with  the  aid  of  special  tools  cut  the  picture  into  the 
block. 

Where  the  picture  was  to  show  black,  the  surface  was 
left  undisturbed,  and  the  tone  gradations  were  produced 
by  cutting  away  the  wood  in  varying  amounts.  After  much 
labor,  the  result  was  a  block  from  which  a  picture  could  be 


210 


PHOTOENGRAVING 


printed,  the  artistic  success  of  which  depended  entirely  on 
the  skill  of  the  engraver. 

Zinc  Etchings.  A  zinc  etching  can  be  produced  only 
from  copy  that  is  made  up  of  lines  and  stipple,  and  these 
lines  and  dots  must  be  a  positive  black;  that  is,  there  must 
be  no  intermediate  shades  between  white  and  black,  such 
as  are  seen  in  a  photograph  or  wash  drawing.  The  first  step 
in  the  process  is  the  negative.  This  is  made  direct  from  the 
copy  and  the  lines  and  dots  are  reproduced  exactly  reversed 
from  the  copy,  on  a  sensitized  film  covered  glass.  The  black 
lines  and  dots  on  the  copy  become  white  or  clear  lines  in  the 
negative,  and  the  whites  become  a  solid  black  or  opaque. 
When  a  line  negative  is  held  up  to  the  light,  the  part  that 
will  be  the  printing  surface  in  the  finished  plate  will  show 
as  clear  glass. 

The  negative  shows  not  only  reversed  as  to  color,  but 
also  as  to  position,  and  on  the  negative  everything  is  back¬ 
ward  from  the  copy.  If  a  print  were  made  direct  from  this 
negative  on  zinc  and  etched,  the  zinc  plate  would  be  a 
positive  and  the  print  on  paper  would  be  negative  again  or 
backward.  To  overcome  this,  the  thin  film  of  the  negative  is 
stripped  off  the  glass,  turned  over  and  spread  out  on  another 
heavy  piece  of  glass  called  a  stripper.  This  negative,  which 
has  now  become  a  positive,  is  placed  in  a  heavy  printing 
frame,  film  side  up,  and  on  it  is  placed  a  piece  of  zinc  on 
which  has  been  flowed  a  chemically  sensitized  film. 

You  will  remember  that  the  lines  and  dots  of  the  copy 
are  clear  glass  in  the  negative.  A  powerful  arc  lamp  is  now 
turned  on  the  negative  and  the  light  goes  through  the  clear 
places  and  hardens  the  sensitized  film  on  the  zinc,  while  the 
balance  is  protected  by  the  opaque  parts  of  the  negative. 
When  the  light  has  acted  sufficiently,  the  zinc  plate  is  taken 


PHOTOENGRAVING 


21 1 


out  and  the  part  not  affected  by  the  light  is  developed  or 
washed  away,  leaving  on  the  zinc  only  the  lines  and  the  dots 
of  the  original  copy.  The  plate  is  then  inked  up  by  rolling 
up  and  washed  off  with  the  aid  of  cotton.  After  it  is  pow¬ 
dered  with  dragon’s  blood  powder,  after  burning  over  a 
gas  stove  and  painting  the  back,  it  is  ready  to  etch.  The 
zinc  is  put  into  an  etching  machine  which  sprays  it  with 
a  solution  of  nitric  acid.  When  the  plate  is  etched  slightly 
below  the  surface  it  is  taken  out  and  dragon’s  blood  dusted 
against  the  lines  from  all  sides.  This  is  burned  in  to  pro¬ 
tect  the  lines,  and  another  etch  or  bite  is  taken  and  so 
repeated  until  a  proper  printing  depth  is  reached. 

After  the  plate  is  etched,  the  large  white  or  blank  spaces 
are  routed  still  deeper  on  a  routing  machine.  The  plate  is 
blocked  and  is  ready  for  the  press. 

Not  infrequently  a  printer  smashes  one  color  of  a  set  of 
color  plates.  He  comes  to  the  engraver  and  asks  him  to 
make  a  new  plate.  A  brief  explanation  of  how  color  plates 
are  made  will  show  you  why  this  is  impossible. 

Don’t  forget,  please,  how  the  negative  is  made  and 
turned  over  on  the  glass.  In  doing  this  it  is  impossible  to 
prevent  a  little  stretch  in  the  film.  This  is  imperceptible 
on  a  one-color  job,  but  would  be  very  noticeable  on  a  close 
register,  so  there  is  no  attempt  to  make  a  negative  for  each 
color,  but  the  black  or  key  part  of  the  drawing  only  is  used, 
and  from  this  one  negative  is  made.  From  this  is  made  a 
print  on  a  separate  piece  of  zinc  for  each  color  that  is  to 
appear  in  the  finished  job.  From  the  red  plate  is  worked 
out  everything  that  does  not  print  in  red.  On  the  blue  plate 
the  etcher  leaves  in  the  blue  and  takes  out  the  balance.  This 
process  is  followed  out  in  every  color,  and  when  the  plates 
are  all  etched  there  is  almost  no  chance  of  their  being  out 


212 


PHOTOENGRAVING 


of  register,  because  every  color  is  made  from  the  original 
or  key  negative.  This  working  in  and  working  out  of  the 
different  colors  makes  color  jobs  cost  much  more  than  an 
equal  number  of  square  inches  of  straight  one-color  etching. 

The  same  plan  is  followed  in  making  embossing  plates 
that  are  used  in  color  work;  so  when  you  want  an  embossing 
plate  to  register  accurately,  always  have  it  make  at  the 
time  you  order  the  printing  plates  or  don’t  blame  the  en¬ 
graver  if  you  get  into  trouble  by  having  them  made  at 
different  times. 

With  this  explanation  of  the  zinc-etching  process  you 
will  see  that  it  would  be  impossible  to  make  a  printing  plate 
in  this  way  from  a  photograph  or  wash  drawing,  which 
has  every  gradation  of  color  from  a  pure  white  to  a  dense 
black. 

Typewriter  copy  should  always  be  especially  written  for 
reproduction.  The  best  copy  is  made  by  using  a  thin  bond 
paper,  putting  a  piece  of  black  carbon  with  its  face  to  the 
back  of  paper,  using  a  red  ribbon  on  the  machine.  Each  key 
should  be  struck  carefully  and  with  the  proper  amount  of 
impression  so  that  the  type  will  appear  uniform  in  impression 
and  color. 

Pen-written  copy  should  have  the  lines  as  uniform  as 
possible  with  no  very  fine  or  broken  lines.  The  ink  should 
be  allowed  to  dry  without  blotting. 

The  ideal  copy  for  zinc  reproduction  is  black  color 
(India  ink)  on  white  paper,  but  some  other  colors  will 
reproduce  very  satisfactorily,  such  as  dark  brown,  dark 
green,  red  and  yellow.  Blue  can  not  be  reproduced  except 
by  a  color  process. 

Don’t  forget  that  copy  of  any  kind  can  be  reduced  or 
enlarged  only  in  exact  proportion.  The  length  can  not  be 


PHOTOENGRAVING 


213 

reduced  or  enlarged  without  proportionately  reducing  the 
width.  In  certain  photographs  the  proportions  can  some¬ 
times  be  changed  by  leaving  out  the  background  or  fore¬ 
ground  or  cutting  off  the  sides.  To  find  the  other  dimen¬ 
sion  (height  or  width)  knowing  one,  Rule:  draw  a  rectangle 
representing  the  exact  dimensions  of  copy  and  intersect 
from  corner  to  corner  with  a  diagonal  line  (which  passes 
through  all  angles  of  reduction).  If  the  copy  is  four  inches 
high  and  two  wide,  and  you  wish  to  reduce  to  three  inches 
high,  the  width  will  befound  to  be  inches. 

Zinc  etchings  should  be  reduced  1-2  to  1-3  or  more, 
according  to  the  copy;  the  more  you  reduce,  the  fewer  are 
the  number  of  imperfections  shown. 

Ben  Day  Process  Sometimes  used  in  making  zinc 
etchings.  The  process  uses  gelatine  films,  with  designs 
in  relief,  which  are  inked  and  the  designs  are  transferred  to 
the  zinc  plate,  before  it  is  covered  with  the  acid  resist.  This 
method  gives  effective  results  and  sometimes  gives  to  the 
zinc  etching  an  appearance  of  several  impressions. 

The  Half-tone  Process.  Has  replaced  the  wood  en¬ 
graving  almost  entirely,  because  of  its  speed,  and  the  possi¬ 
bility  of  retaining  photographic  accuracy. 

By  the  half-tone  method,  the  picture  of  which  an  en¬ 
graving  is  to  be  made,  is  cut  up  into  dots  of  various  sizes 
by  photographing  it  through  a  “half-tone  screen.”  This  is 
a  plate  of  double  glass  ruled  with  parallel  lines  of  equal 
thickness  which  cross  each  other  at  angles  of  90  degrees 
and  are  engraved  in  the  surface  of  the  glass  plate  and  black¬ 
ened,  while  the  spaces  between  remain  transparent.  The 
dots  on  the  negative  taken  through  the  screen  are  ail  of 
the  same  density  and  produce  through  their  relative  size 
the  tone  values. 


214 


PHOTOENGRAVING 


Copy  for  Half-tones.  The  most  desirable  copy  for 
the  making  of  half-tones  is,  first,  a  glossy  photograph,  of 
almost  any  color,  but  black  and  white  photographic  prints 
with  full  color  and  detail  make  far  the  best  half-tone  cuts. 
Reductions  in  photographs  are  advisable,  because  the  more 
you  reduce,  the  more  color  you  secure;  the  more  you  enlarge, 
the  grayer  the  half-tone  will  be. 

When  copy  is  to  be  photographed  it  is  placed  before  the 
camera,  and  after  focusing  it  for  the  desired  dimensions, 
the  operator  proceeds  with  the  making  of  a  negative.  Each 
negative  is  made  on  a  photographic  plate  (glass),  which 
has  been  washed  in  nitric  acid  to  clean  thoroughly  after 
which  it  is  flowed  with  albumen,  or  the  whites  of  eggs;  the 
right  side  of  plate  is  flowed  with  collodion,  then  placed  in 
silver  bath;  this  sensitizes  the  plate,  and  it  must  not  be 
exposed  to  light,  after  which  it  is  ready  for  the  camera.  The 
screen  is  between  plate  and  lens.  After  the  exposure  is 
made,  taking  possibly  three  to  five  minutes,  plate  is  devel¬ 
oped.  It  is  cleared  with  cyanide,  then  it  is  intensified, 
which  makes  the  dots  come  together;  dots  can  be  changed 
by  the  length  of  exposure  and  manipulation. 

Printing  on  Metal.  Copper  is  usually  used  for  half¬ 
tone  plates.  It  is  about  1-16  of  an  inch  in  thickness,  fine 
quality,  polished  to  a  high  finish;  its  surface  is  exceedingly 
smooth.  A  piece  of  correct  dimensions  is  cut,  then  rubbed 
down  with  a  felt  pad,  pumice  stone  and  water,  and  then 
evenly  coated  with  a  solution  of  bichromated  fish-glue;  this 
is  the  so-called  enamel  or  coating  on  a  half-tone.  The 
copper  plate  is  prepared  in  a  semi-dark  room,  the  negative 
is  brought  in  contact  with  the  prepared  and  coated  copper 
plate  in  a  printing  frame,  and  exposed  to  the  intense  rays  of 
arc  lamp,  for  a  certain  period.  The  copper  plate  is  then 


PHOTOENGRAVING 


215 


removed  and  immersed  in  water  to  develop  the  image. 

The  parts  where  the  negative  is  opaque  and  which  have 
been  protected  from  light  will  readily  wash  away;  but  where 
transparent,  the  action  of  light  has  made  the  bichromated 
glue  coating  insoluble. 

After  washing,  the  print  is  dried  and  heated  in  an  oven 
to  such  a  degree  that  the  fish-glue  is  baked,  loses  its  purple 
color  and  becomes  a  dark  brown  enamel,  which  when  plate 
is  cooled  adheres  rigidly  to  it.  The  enamel  is  of  great  im¬ 
portance,  for  it  resists  the  etching  solution  when  applied  to 
plate.  Whenever  this  has  been  removed  it  cannot  be  re¬ 
moved  to  the  etching  bath. 

When  commercial  articles  are  to  be  reproduced,  the 
best  results  can  be  obtained  from  a  carefully  retouched 
photograph. 

Color  Photography.  When  the  copy  is  to  be  reproduced 
by  the  color  process,  it  is  placed  before  the  camera,  and 
after  focussing  it  for  the  desired  dimensions,  the  operator 
proceeds  with  the  making  of  a  set  of  color  record  negatives, 
one  for  each  of  the  colors  to  be  used.  Each  negative  is  made 
on  a  photographic  plate  which  is  sensitized  according  to  the 
color  it  is  intended  to  record,  and  with  the  aid  of  filters  of 
transparent  colored  glass,  or  of  liquid  which  are  placed  be¬ 
hind  the  lens,  the  action  on  the  plate  of  the  particular  color 
which  the  negative  is  made  is  retarded  or  entirely  prevented. 

Each  negative,  although  not  colored,  records  the  values 
and  gradations  of  the  primary  color  for  which  it  is  made; 
and  from  these  negatives,  plates  are  made  which  are  printed 
in  that  color.  Color  record  negatives  are  usually  called 
color  separation  negatives. 

Through  the  discovery  of  special  photographic  dyes, 
which  are  mixed  with  the  emulsion  of  the  sensitive  plate, 


2l6 


PHOTOENGRAVING 


these  color  separation  negatives  can  be  made  very  nearly 
correct.  A  certain  amount  of  hand  work,  however,  must  be 
done  to  improve  the  work  and  correct  them.  This  work  is 
done  after  negatives  have  been  transferred  to  metal  by  the 
re-etcher  and  finisher.  The  photographic  plate  used  for  the 
negative  of  the  yellow  printing  plate  is  sensitive  to  reds  and 
blues.  A  purple  filter  retards  the  action  of  the  yellows. 
Purple  filter  is  used  for  the  yellow  printing  plate.  The  pho¬ 
tographic  plate  used  for  the  red  printing  plate  is  sensitive 
to  yellow  and  blues,  and  a  green  filter  retards  the  action  of 
reds.  Green  filter  is  used  for  red  printing  plate. 

The  photographic  plate  used  for  the  blue  printing  plate 
is  sensitive  to  the  yellow  and  reds.  A  red  filter  prevents 
the  action  of  the  blue  rays  on  the  plate.  Red  filters  for  the 
blue  printing  plate. 

In  four-color  process,  a  photographic  plate  is  used  which 
is  sensitive  to  all  colors,  a  yellow  filter  retarding  the  action 
of  blacks  and  grays.  This  plate  records  only  the  blacks 
and  neutral  tones.  Yellow  filter  for  the  black  printing 
plate.  The  half-tone  screen  is  turned  a  few  degrees  after 
exposure  of  each  color  negative,  for  the  half-tone  dots  will 
otherwise  fall  exactly  on  top  of  one  another,  thus  neutral¬ 
izing  the  colors.  The  angles  at  which  the  screens  cross  each 
other  are  of  great  importance,  for,  if  incorrect,  they  will 
create  a  pattern  (or  moire)  which  would  destroy  the  ap¬ 
pearance  of  the  picture:  they  are  standarized  and  never 
changed. 

The  etching,  re-etching,  tooling,  staging,  etc.,  are  the 
same  as  for  half-tones.  A  re-etched  plate  is  far  the  best,  as 
the  whites  are  not  possible  to  eliminate  photographically, 
and  these,  together  with  portions  which  should  not  contain 
all  of  the  four  colors,  must  be  taken  out  by  hand. 


PHOTOENGRAVING 


217 

Suitable  Screens.  For  ordinary  purposes  the  following 
may  be  taken  as  a  safe  guide  to  follow  in  ordering  half¬ 
tone  cuts  for  use  with  various  grades  of  printing  paper. 

For  fine  enameled  book  papers,  use  150  to  175  screen  cuts. 

For  dull-finished  stock . use  120  to  150  screen  cuts. 

For  S.  and  S.  C.  stock . use  100  to  133  screen  cuts. 

For  M.  F.  book . use  100  to  133  screen  cuts. 

For  bond  and  ledger  paper  .  .  .  use  85  to  100  screen  cuts. 

For  news  print . use  55  to  85  screen  cuts. 

When  in  doubt,  use  a  coarser  screen  rather  than  a 
finer  screen. 

Etching.  Perchloride  of  iron  is  used  to  etch  copper. 
Before  placing  in  etching  tub,  the  parts  which  are  to  show 
solid  are  carefully  painted  in  with  special  asphaltum  var¬ 
nish.  The  effect  of  etching  is  that  the  parts  of  the  plate 
unprotected  by  the  enamel  are  rapidly  etched  away,  but 
parts  or  dots  covered  by  the  enamel  remain  unaltered. 
Only  a  few  minutes  of  etching  are  necessary  to  obtain  a 
relief  plate.  The  first  etching  will  sufficiently  deepen  the 
shadow  dots  for  printing  purposes,  but  between  the  high¬ 
light  dots,  greater  depth  is  required.  Should  the  first  etch¬ 
ing  be  continued  too  long,  the  action  of  the  etching  fluid 
will  not  only  tend  to  deepen  the  plate  further,  but  also  to 
diminish  the  size  of  the  dots,  and  considerable  color  would 
be  lost  in  the  dark  tones,  resulting  in  what  is  termed  “a 
gray  plate.” 

It  is  therefore  essential  to  stop  this  etching  before  the 
size  of  the  shadow  dots  is  affected,  and  the  parts  of  the 
plate  where  the  etching  has  been  completed  must  be  pro¬ 
tected  before  subsequent  etchings  can  be  made.  This  is  done 
by  the  etcher  with  a  brush  and  asphaltum  varnish,  and  is 
called  staging,  or  re-etching.  The  asphaltum  is  later  re- 


218 


PHOTOENGRAVING 


moved  and  the  plate  compared  with  the  original.  Tones 
which  are  too  light  may  be  burnished  or  further  reduced 
by  local  etching,  after  which  the  plate  is  turned  over  to 
the  finisher. 

Finisher.  The  finisher’s  duties  are  to  indicate  the 
portions  of  the  plate  which  should  be  entirely  eliminated, 
as  in  the  case  of  a  silhouette,  etc.  These  parts  are  outlined 
with  special  tools  and  removed  by  the  router.  The  finisher 
removes  spots,  and  tools  where  the  original  calls  for  such 
treatment,  cut-out  lettering,  etc. 

Router.  His  equipment  consists  of  routing  and  beveling 
machines,  circular  saw,  jig  saw,  and  drill  press.  It  is  his 
duty  to  block  and  prepare  the  plate  for  the  presses. 

Copy.  Any  copy  can  be  made  into  a  half-tone,  but  when 
you  give  the  engraver  any  kind  of  a  copy  you  are  liable  to 
get  any  kind  of  a  half-tone.  To  get  the  best  results,  copy 
should  be  clean  and  clear  and  have  well-defined  lights 
and  shades. 

A  half-tone  can  be  made  from  a  half-tone  proof,  but  the 
result  is  not  as  satisfactory  as  from  a  good  photograph, 
because  of  the  tendency  to  get  a  checkerboard  or  moire 
effect  in  the  reproduction.  This  has  been  overcome  to  a 
great  extent  by  a  recent  invention.  Blueprints  can  not  be 
reproduced  readily,  as  blue  photographs  white. 

Don’t  expect  to  take  a  lithograph  to  the  engraver  and 
have  him  give  you  a  printing  plate  that  will  give  as  good  a 
result  as  the  original  lithograph.  All  the  lines  in  lithographic 
copy  are  more  or  less  broken  and  are  never,  when  examined 
under  a  glass,  found  to  be  clean  and  sharp.  Lithograph 
shading  is  usually  very  fine  and  the  lines  are  more  or  less 
cross  connected.  When  a  negative  and  etching  are  made 
from  these  broken  and  connected  lines,  the  tendency  is  for 


PHOTOENGRAVING 


219 


the  lines  to  etch  away  in  some  places  and  fill  up  in  others. 
The  result  is  a  plate  that  is  too  dark  in  some  places  and 
broken  up  in  others. 

Process  Color  Work.  The  process  is  based  on  the  fact 
that  by  the  proper  mixture  of  the  three  pigments,  yellow, 
red  and  blue,  any  shade  of  color  may  be  matched.  In 
practice  it  is  effected  by  engraving  one  plate  to  print  all 
the  yellow  of  a  picture,  another  to  print  all  the  red,  and  a 
third  to  print  all  the  blue. 

The  plates  are  made  with  the  aid  of  color  sensitive  pho¬ 
tographic  plates  and  suitable  color  filters,  and  when  printed 
with  their  respective  inks  in  accurate  register  will  produce 
results  which  closely  resemble  the  original. 

For  many  years  the  three-color  process  was  practised, 
but  it  was  found  that  in  view  of  the  difficulties  in  producing 
neutral  tones  and  especially  in  retaining  these  on  long  runs, 
it  is  advisable  to  add  a  black  or  gray  plate  to  the  three  colors 
used. 

Reproductions  in  three  and  four  colors  may  be  made 
from  the  colored  original  or  object.  Reductions  are  advis¬ 
able,  and  originals  to  be  reproduced  should  be  larger  than 
the  plates  to  be  made. 

Water-color  drawings,  pastels,  or  oil  paintings  are  most 
frequently  used  as  copy  for  magazine  covers,  book  illus¬ 
trations,  and  art  prints.  Carpets,  textiles,  and  commercial 
objects  are  best  reproduced  directly  from  these  articles. 
The  reproductions  of  flowers,  fruit,  and  objects  for  scientific 
or  mercantile  purposes,  as  well  as  architectural  views  and 
landscapes,  may  be  made  directly  from  these  objects  in  full 
color.  When  color  originals  or  autochromes  are  not  avail¬ 
able,  color  plates  may  be  made  from  black  and  white  ori¬ 
ginals,  such  as  photographs  and  wash  drawings,  for  the 


220 


PHOTOENGRAVING 


skill  which  the  engraver  has  attained  by  long  practise  and 
experience  is  such  that  the  color  values  may  be  worked 
into  the  plates.  And  by  careful  re-etching  and  tooling,  color 
plates  may  be  made  from  non-color  originals.  Their  success, 
however,  depends  on  the  artistic  conception  of  the  worker. 

Electrotyping.  This  process  is  used  for  duplicating 
originals.  It  consists  in  making  moulds  from  the  original 
type  pages,  zinc  etchings,  copper  plates,  either  in  wax  or  in 
soft  lead,  under  tremendous  pressure  in  a  moulding  press. 
The  wax  is  first  melted  and  run  through  a  sieve,  then  re¬ 
melted  and  run  on  a  table  to  cool,  and  here  it  forms  into 
blocks.  After  it  is  cool,  the  wax  is  then  planed  and  given  a 
very  fine  surface,  before  being  put  in  the  moulding  press. 

These  moulds  are  immersed  in  an  electro-galvanic  bath, 
and  a  deposit  is  made  thereon  of  either  copper,  nickel  or 
steel,  and  thus  a  shell  is  obtained  which  is  an  exact  dupli¬ 
cate  of  the  original.  This  shell,  varies  in  thickness  ac¬ 
cording  to  the  time  the  mould  is  left  in  the  galvanic  bath. 

The  steel  facing  is  done  first,  then  copper  underneath, 
but  the  nickeling  is  done  after  the  copper  shell  is  formed. 
The  shell  receives  a  piece  of  foil  on  back  to  act  as  solder, 
then,  backed  with  metal  and  planed  off  from  back  to 
proper  thickness.  They  are  called  “electrotype,”  “nickel- 
type”  or  “steeltype”  according  to  the  metal  used  for  the 
shell.  On  type  pages  the  finisher  uses  charcoal  on  face 
which  will  show  him  the  low  letters,  and  with  the  aid  of 
calipers  he  marks  the  back  and  punches  this  particular  spot 
to  cause  letter  to  come  up  to  proper  height.  As  many  elec¬ 
trotypes  as  are  required  may  be  made  from  the  original 
plates  without  injury  to  them. 

On  large  editions  where  thousands  of  copies  of  the  same 
plate  are  required,  several  duplicate  sets  of  electrotypes 


PHOTOENGRAVING 


221 


may  be  made,  and  printed  together  in  a  form  on  one  sheet. 

Electrotypes  when  carefully  made  will  give  results  equal 
to  the  originals.  In  view  of  their  economical  manufacture, 
they  may  be  replaced  when  they  show  signs  of  wear  through 
excessive  use. 

A  good  electrotype  may  be  quickly  worn  flat,  through 
lack  of  make-ready,  or  if  treated  carelessly  by  the  pressman. 


ELECTRIC  POWER  IN  THE  PRESSROOM 


By  William  R.  Work 

THERE  are  several  systems  in  common  use  for  distri¬ 
buting  electrical  power  from  the  generating  station 
to  the  consumer.  They  are: 

1.  Direct  current,  two-wire. 

2.  Direct  current,  three-wire. 

3.  Alternating  current,  single-phase,  two-wire. 

4.  Alternating  current,  two-phase,  four-wire. 

5.  Alternating  current,  three-phase,  three-wire. 

In  all  these  the  wires  leading  from  the  power  station  to 
the  consumer  are  of  copper  and  are  supported  at  appropriate 
intervals  on  porcelain  insulators.  Also  the  wires  themselves 
are  covered  with  rubber  or  some  other  insulating  material. 
The  object  is  thus  insulating  the  wires  is  to  prevent  the 
leakage  of  current  from  them  to  the  ground  or  from  wire  to 
wire.  At  the  consumer’s  plant  each  entering  wire  divides 
into  a  number  of  branch  wires  which  allow  the  current  to  be 
distributed  to  points  within  the  plant. 

Between  the  two  line  wires  of  a  direct  current  two-wire 
system  there  is  maintained  an  electrical  pressure,  of  approx¬ 
imately  constant  value,  which  is  measured  in  volts.  Pres¬ 
sures  of  1 10  volts,  220  volts,  and  500  volts  are  in  common  use. 

Suppose  that  an  ordinary  incandescent  lamp  marked 
“25  watts  110  volts”  is  connected  to  the  two  wires  of  a  110 
volt  system.  The  filament  of  the  lamp  provides  a  conducting 
path  along  which  electricity  can  flow  from  one  line  wire 
(the  positive)  to  the  other  wire  (the  negative).  In  a  direct 


ELECTRIC  POWER 


223 

current  system  this  flow  is  always  in  one  direction;  elec¬ 
tricity  leaves  the  positive  wire,  flows  through  the  lamp,  and 
enters  the  negative  wire.  The  rate  at  which  the  flow  takes 
place  is  controlled  by  the  resistance  which  the  lamp  offers  to 
the  flow.  This  rate  is  called  the  current  and  is  measured  in 
amperes.  The  rate  at  which  energy  is  supplied  to  the  lamp 
is  called  power.  Power  is  measured  in  watts.  Power  is 
equal  to  the  product  of  the  pressure  and  the  current,  hence 
watts  =  volts  X  amperes 

The  lamp  under  consideration  is  consuming  energy  at 
the  rate  of  25  watts.  The  current  through  it  can  be  calcu¬ 
lated  by  dividing  the  watts  by  the  volts;  in  this  case  the 
lamp  current  is  seen  to  be  0.23  ampere. 

The  resistance  which  the  lamp  offers  to  the  current  is 
measured  in  ohms  and  is  equal  to  the  voltage  applied 
divided  by  the  current.  That  is 

,  volts 

ohms  = - 

amperes 

Since  in  the  lamp  above  a  pressure  of  110  volts  caused  a 
current  of  0.23  amperes  to  flow  through  the  lamp,  the  resist¬ 
ance  must  be  484  ohms. 

The  energy  consumed  by  a  load  in  a  given  time  can  be 
found  by  multiplying  the  power  by  the  time.  The  unit  of 
electrical  energy  is  the  watt-hour,  and 

watt-hours  ™  watts  X  hours 

If  the  lamp  considered  above  is  operated  for  8  hours  the 
energy  consumption  will  be  25  X  8  =  200  watt-hours. 

Since  the  watt  is  a  rather  small  unit,  large  powers  are 
preferably  measured  by  a  unit  1000  times  as  large,  called 
a  kilowatt.  Large  blocks  of  energy  are  similarly  measured 
in  kilowatt-hours. 


224 


ELECTRIC  POWER 


Kilowatt-hours  =  kilowatts  X  hours. 

If  a  220  volt  motor  takes  a  steady  current  of  80  amperes 
for  8  hours  its  power  input  will  be  220  volts X  80  amperes  = 
17,600  watts  =  17.6  kilowatts.  The  total  energy  drawn  from 
the  line  in  the  8  hours  will  be  17.6  kilowatts  X  8  hours  =  140.8 
kilowatt-hours.  If  energy  costs  5  cents  per  kilowatt-hour, 
the  cost  of  the  energy  put  into  the  motor  would  be  $7.04. 

Mechanical  powers  are  usually  measured  in  horsepower, 
a  unit  which  is  equal  to  746  watts.  A  horsepower  is  there¬ 
fore  approximately  ^  kilowatt. 

Since  in  every  machine  in  which  energy  is  converted 
from  one  form  into  another  there  is  an  unavoidable  loss  of 
energy,  it  follows  that  the  power  output  of  a  motor  at  any 
time  is  less  than  the  power  input  at  that  time.  The  ratio  of 
the  output  to  the  input  is  called  the  efficiency  and  is  ex¬ 
pressed  in  per  cent.  Since  the  efficiency  of  a  machine  is 
greatest  at  or  near  full  load,  it  follows  that  a  lightly  loaded 
machine  is  at  a  disadvantage  as  regards  economical  opera¬ 
tion. 

If  the  motor  considered  above  has  an  efficiency  of  85 
per  cent  at  the  given  load,  it  is  delivering  17.6  X  0.85  =  15 
kilowatts  =  20  horsepower  as  mechanical  power  at  the  pulley. 
The  difference  between  17.6  kilowatts  put  in  and  the  15 
kilowatts  delivered  represents  the  rate  at  which  energy  is 
being  converted  into  heat  in  the  motor  by  friction  and  the 
several  electrical  and  magnetic  losses. 

When  a  number  of  devices  are  connected  to  the  same 
line  the  total  current  drawn  from  the  power-house  over  the 
line  is  equal  to  the  sum  of  the  currents  taken  by  the  separate 
devices. 

A  three-wire  direct  current  system  has  in  addition  to  the 
positive  and  negative  wires  a  third  one  called  the  neutral 


ELECTRIC  POWER 


225 


wire.  Between  the  positive  and  the  neutral  wires  there  is  a 
pressure  of  110  volts,  between  the  neutral  and  the  negative 
wires  there  is  also  110  volts,  but  between  the  positive  and 
the  negative  wires  there  is  220  volts.  This  system  allows  the 
use  of  110  volt  lamps  and  220  volt  motors.  The  lamp  load 
should  be  equally  divided  between  the  two  1 10- volt  sides. 

It  is  not  economically  possible  to  transmit  power  over 
a  considerable  distance  at  110  or  220  volts.  For  this  purpose 
alternating  current  systems  with  pressures  of  2,200  volts  or 
more  are  used.  In  an  alternating  current  system  the  pressure 
does  not  act  steadily  in  one  direction,  but  is  periodically 
reversed  with  the  result  that  the  current  alternates  in 
direction  at  the  same  rate.  If  there  are  sixty  double  rever¬ 
sals  in  each  second  the  frequency  is  said  to  be  60  cycles  per 
second  and  the  system  is  called  a  60-cycle  system. 

Usually  the  line  voltage  of  an  alternating  current  system 
is  too  high  for  safe  use  in  a  plant.  In  this  case  the  line  from 
the  power  station  runs  to  a  transformer  which  steps  down 
the  voltage  to  a  lower  value  for  use  in  the  plant. 

In  use  the  single-phase,  two-wire  system  corresponds  to 
the  two-wire  direct  current  system,  while  the  single-phase, 
three-wire  system  corresponds  to  the  three-wire,  direct 
current  system. 

The  two-phase,  four-wire  system  is  rarely  met.  It 
really  consists  of  two  separate  single-phase  systems  which 
may  be  used  separately  for  lights  or  small  motors  and  to¬ 
gether  for  large  motors. 

The  three-phase,  three-wire  system  is  used,  if  available, 
when  comparatively  large  motors  are  to  be  driven.  In  this 
system  the  three  voltages  between  the  three  line  wires  are 
all  of  equal  value  and  lamps  or  single-phase  motors  may  be 
connected  between  any  two  of  the  three  wires. 


226 


ELECTRIC  POWER 


Motors.  The  choice  of  a  motor  is  made  with  reference 
both  to  the  character  of  the  service  for  which  it  is  to  be  used 
and  to  the  kind  of  power  system  from  which  it  is  to  be  driven. 

The  rated  voltage  of  a  motor  must  correspond  to  the 
voltage  of  the  line  to  which  it  is  to  be  connected.  An  alter¬ 
nating  current  motor  must  also  have  a  rated  frequency 
equal  to  the  frequency  of  the  power  system  and  must  be 
wound  for  the  proper  number  of  phases,  although  single¬ 
phase  motors  can  be  operated  as  such  on  either  phase  of  a 
two-phase,  or  on  any  pair  of  wires  of  a  three-phase  system. 

The  rated  full-load  of  a  motor  is  the  number  of  horse¬ 
power  which  it  will  deliver  without  overheating.  Some 
motors  are  designed  for  constant  duty;  these  are  able  to 
deliver  the  rated  full-load  continuously.  Other  motors  de¬ 
signed  for  intermittent  duty,  are  used  on  varying  loads 
where  periods  of  heavy  load  alternate  with  periods  of  light 
load.  Motors  of  the  latter  class  are  smaller  and  cheaper 
than  those  of  the  former. 

Direct  Current  Motors.  Shunt  wound  direct  current 
motors  are  used  on  machines  which  do  not  require  a  large 
starting  torque  (twisting  effort)  or  which  are  not  subject  to 
sudden  heavy  loads.  While  the  speed  of  a  shunt  motor  is 
approximately  the  same  at  all  loads,  it  may  be  provided 
with  a  controller  which  will  allow  the  speed  to  be  adjusted 
to  a  desired  value.  These  motors  are  suitable  for  driving 
light  platen  presses,  rotary  presses,  folders,  stitchers, 
linotype  and  monotype  machines,  and  line  shafts. 

Compound  wound  direct  current  motors  are  used  when 
the  shunt  type  are  not  suitable.  These  motors  have  a  defi¬ 
nite  no-load  speed  but  respond  to  heavy  loads  by  a  drop  in 
speed  and  give  a  greater  torque  for  the  same  current  than 
a  shunt  motor. 


ELECTRIC  POWER 


227 

Compound  wound  motors  are  suitable  for  flat-bed 
presses,  heavy  embossing  presses,  and  cutting  machines. 
Machines  driven  by  compound  wound  motors  should  have 
fly-wheels.  During  the  period  of  light  load  the  motor  speeds 
up  and  stores  energy  in  the  fly-wheel ;  when  a  sudden  heavy 
load  comes  on,  the  motor  speed  drops  and  the  fly-wheel 
delivers  some  of  its  stored  energy  and  thus  helps  to  drive 
the  machine.  The  average  motor  load  is  then  more  uniform 
over  a  cycle  of  operation  than  if  the  motor  had  to  take  the 
load  fluctuations  alone  without  the  aid  of  a  fly-wheel. 

Efficiencies  of  ordinary  direct  current  motors,  at  full¬ 
load,  range  from  about  80  per  cent  for  a  2  hp.  to  90  per  cent 
for  a  100  hp.  motor. 

Direct  Current  Motor  Control.  The  question  of 
motor  control  comprises  so  much  detail  that  a  brief  descrip¬ 
tion  of  it  is  impossible.  Many  types  of  apparatus  specially 
designed  for  print  shop  service  are  on  the  market;  from 
these  the  best  selection  for  a  specific  duty  can  only  be  made 
by  an  expert. 

In  general,  every  motor  requires  a  starting-box  which 
will  allow  the  motor  to  be  brought  up  to  its  working  speed 
gradually.  This  starting-box  may  be  either  a  simple  hand- 
operated  device  or  a  more  complicated  automatic  one 
operated  by  push-buttons.  The  speed  control  feature  may 
be  in  a  separate  device  or  it  may  be  incorporated  in  the 
starter.  All  starting  devices  have  a  no-voltage  release  which 
automatically  cuts  off  the  motor  in  case  of  failure  of  the 
power  supply  for  any  reason.  Small  motors,  y2  hp.  and 
smaller,  do  not  need  a  starting-box. 

Alternating  Current  Motors.  Induction  motors  of 
the  squirrel-cage  type  are  adapted  to  the  same  kind  of 
duty  as  shunt-wound  direct  current  motors  except  that  it  is 


228 


ELECTRIC  POWER 


not  possible  to  vary  their  speed  as  is  desired  in  printing. 

Phase-wound  induction  motors  may  be  provided  with 
controllers  which  will  allow  a  reduction  of  speed  below  the 
normal  value.  The  speed,  however,  will  then  vary  with  the 
load,  thus  giving  the  motors  the  speed  characteristic  of  a 
compound  wound  direct  current  motor,  and  therefore  phase- 
wound  motors  can  be  applied  to  machines  demanding  large 
starting  torque  or  to  machines  subject  to  suddenly  applied 
loads. 

Both  types  of  induction  motors  can  be  obtained  for 
either  single,  two,  or  three  phase  systems.  The  starting 
characteristics  of  the  single-phase  induction  motors  are 
poor  and  they  should  not  be  used,  especially  in  the  larger 
sizes,  if  a  polyphase  supply  is  available.  There  are  other, 
somewhat  unusual,  types  of  single-phase  motors  on  the 
market  which  might  be  specified  in  particular  cases  by 
their  makers. 

The  power  in  watts  taken  by  a  single-phase  motor  may 
be  calculated  by  multiplying  the  line  volts  by  the  motor 
amperes  and  by  a  quantity  known  as  the  power-factor. 
This  factor  ranges  from  about  0.75  in  the  case  of  small 
motors  to  0.90  for  large  motors.  The  power  input  for  a 
three-phase  motor  is  calculated  in  the  same  way  except 
that  a  further  multiplication  by  the  number  1.73  must 
be  made. 

Wiring.  All  power  circuits  constitute  a  fire-hazard 
unless  properly  installed  and  maintained.  A  wire  will  try 
to  carry  all  the  current  it  is  asked  to  carry,  but  the  passage 
of  a  current  heats  the  wire  hence  a  very  large  current  in  a 
small  wire  will  ignite  the  insulation  or  melt  the  wire.  The 
Regulations  of  the  National  Board  of  Fire  Underwriters 
prescribe  certain  safe  currents  for  each  size  of  wire  as  well  as 


ELECTRIC  POWER 


229 


the  kind  of  insulation,  mode  of  installing  the  wire,  and  the 
use  of  approved  devices.  These  rules  should  be  followed 
invariably. 

Circuits  are  protected  against  excessive  currents  by 
fuses.  A  fuse  is  merely  a  weak  point  in  the  conducting  line 
so  designed  that  it  will  be  melted  by  a  definite  current. 
Thus  if  a  motor  will  take  a  current  of  90  amperes  on  full¬ 
load,  the  line  running  to  the  motor  should  have  100  ampere 
fuses  in  them.  If  at  any  time  the  machine  driven  by  the 
motor  should  stall,  or  if  trouble  should  develop  in  the  motor, 
the  resulting  excessive  current  will  melt  the  fuses  and  thus 
cut  off  the  power.  Obviously  the  fuses  should  be  replaced 
by  duplicates  and  not  by  a  piece  of  wire  or  a  linotype  slug. 

Every  individual  motor  or  lamp  circuit  should  have  its 
own  set  of  fuses  for  protection  and  its  own  switch  for  con¬ 
necting  and  disconnecting  the  circuit  from  the  power  line. 
In  making  alterations  or  repairs  on  a  circuit  the  circuit 
should  be  “dead,”  that  is,  disconnected  from  the  power 
line.  Only  an  experienced  electrician  can  work  on  a  live 
line  with  safety. 

Motor  Maintenance.  Most  motors  have  ring-oiling 
bearings.  A  ring,  somewhat  larger  in  diameter  than  the 
shaft,  dipping  into  an  oil  well  is  revolved  by  the  shaft  and 
made  to  carry  oil  from  the  well  up  into  the  bearing.  The 
bearings  should  be  regularily  inspected  to  see  that  the 
supply  of  oil  is  adequate  and  that  the  ring  actually  revolves 
when  the  motor  runs.  New  oil  should  be  added  with  care 
so  as  not  to  cause  an  overflow  of  the  well. 

Excessive  wear  in  the  bearings  will  cause  the  revolving 
part  of  the  motor  to  rub  against  the  stationary  part  with 
consequent  damage  to  the  motor.  This  is  likely  to  happen 
in  alternating  current  motors  for  in  these  the  clearance  be- 


230 


ELECTRIC  POWER 


tween  the  parts  is  much  smaller  than  in  direct  current 
motors.  An  unusual  noise  and  mechanical  vibration  in  the 
motor  is  a  sign  that  the  revolving  part  is  beginning  to  rub 
on  the  stationary  part  and  indicates  that  new  bearings  are 
needed  at  once. 

In  direct  current  motors  the  carbon  brushes  should 
work  freely  in  their  holders  and  bear  down  evenly  on  the 
commutator.  The  pressure  on  the  brushes  is  controlled 
by  a  spring  device  which  should  be  adjusted  so  that  the 
pressure  is  just  enough  to  keep  the  brushes  firmly  on  the 
commutator  when  the  motor  is  running.  The  arms  carrying 
the  brushes  are  mounted  on  a  rocker  ring  which  may  be 
rotated  through  a  small  angle  by  loosening  a  set-screw  or 
clamp.  If  the  brushes  spark  much  when  the  motor  is  running 
under  load  the  brushes  should  be  shifted  a  little,  one  way 
or  the  other,  until  a  position  which  gives  minimum  sparking 
is  found.  The  rocker  ring  is  then  clamped  in  this  position. 
Since  this  adjustment  must  be  made  with  the  motor  run¬ 
ning  it  may  be  done  in  safety  by  using  the  hands  on  one  brush 
arm  alone  or  both  hands  on  alternate  (not  adjacent)  brush 
arms.  Between  adjacent  brush  arms  there  will  be  the  full 
line  voltage.  Severe  sparking  under  the  brushes  is  not 
normal  and  is  an  indication  that  something  is  wrong;  the 
cause  should  be  found  and  the  remedy  applied  as  soon  as 
possible. 

When  brushes  wear  out,  as  they  will,  new  ones  must  be 
put  in.  A  piece  of  sandpaper  under  the  brush,  rough  side 
towards  the  carbon,  moved  back  and  forth  will  grind  the 
new  brush  to  a  fit  on  the  commutator. 

The  commutator  should  be  kept  clean  and  free  from 
oil.  If  it  becomes  roughened  in  service  it  may  be  dressed 
up  by  fine  sand  paper;  emery  paper  or  cloth  should  never  be 


ELECTRIC  POWER 


231 


used.  A  little  vaseline,  a  mere  trace,  may  be  applied  at 
intervals  as  a  lubricant  on  the  commutator.  A  badly  worn 
commutator  needs  the  attention  of  an  electrical  repair  shop. 

Moisture  in  or  about  electrical  apparatus  should  not  be 
tolerated.  Wet  insulation  is  not  insulation. 

Alternating  current  induction  motors  require  consider¬ 
ably  less  attention  than  do  motors  having  commutators. 
The  squirrel  cage  type  is  the  most  fool-proof  motor  made; 
it  has  no  moving  electrical  contacts  and  requires  no  attention 
other  than  the  maintenance  of  the  bearings.  The  phase- 
wound  type  has  brushes  bearing  on  slip  rings  which  demand 
some  attention,  but  not  as  much  as  a  commutator. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 
Books  on  Printing  Ink 

Modern  Printing  Inks,  by  Alfred  Seymour,  D.  Van  Nostrand  Co., 
New  York. 

Printing  Inks,  by  Norman  Underwood  and  Thomas  V.  Sullivan, 
D.  Van  Nostrand  Co.,  New  York. 

Printers  Inks,  by  Louis  E.  Andes,  D.  Van  Nostrand  Co.,  New  York, 

Color  and  Its  Application  to  Printing,  by  E.  C.  Andrews,  The  Inland 
Printer  Co.,  Chicago. 

Color  and  Its  Distribution  in  Printing,  by  E.  C.  Andrews,  Inland 
Printer  Co.,  Chicago. 

Books  on  Photoengraving 

Horgan’s  Half-tone  and  Photomechanical  Processes,  The  Inland 
Printer  Co.,  Chicago. 

Amstutz  Hand-Book  of  Photoengraving,  by  N.  S.  Amstutz,  The 
Inland  Printer  Co.,  Chicago. 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

Platen  Press  Working  Mechanism 

Definition . 1 

Placing  Press .  1 

Bed . 1 

Oiling  Press .  2 

Discs .  2 

Grippers .  2 

Slurs  and  Grippers .  3 

Platen .  3 

Chases  .... 

Gripper  Wrench 
Roller  Stocks  . 

Roller  Trucks .  5 

Number  of  Press .  5 

Tympan  Bales .  5 

Counters . 5 

Fly-wheels .  5 

Different  Drives  . .  6 

Feed  Table  . .  6 

Impression  Trip . 6 

Guides .  7 

Impression  Adjustments .  7 

Fountain  (Universal  type) .  7 

Forms .  8 

Platen  Adjustments  (C.  &  P.) .  8 

Fountain  (C.  &  P.)  8 

Bearers  .  9 

Fountain  (Golding)  .  9 

Impression  Adjustment  (Golding) . 10 

Supplies . 10 

Glue .  11 

Overlay  Knife .  11 

Inking .  12 


^ 


234 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

Washing  up . 12 

Form  in  .  13 

Tympans . 13 

Dont’s . 13 

Platen  Press  Make-Ready 

Ten  Rules  . 14 

Business  Card . 15 

Letterhead . 16 

Type  Pages . 18 

Envelope . 21 

Manila  card  on  Tympan . 22 

Type  and  Rule  Border . 22 

Type  Pages  with  Leaders . 23 

Feeding  . 24 

Watching  Jobs  . 24 

Zinc  Cuts  . 24 

Two-color  Forms  . 24 

Perforating  Rule  and  Type . 25 

Cutting  a  Job . 25 

Gold  Bronzing . 26 

Scoring . 26 

Typewriter  Imitation . 26 

Half-tones . 27 

Standard  Marks . .  .  ,  29 

Parchment . 31 

Register  Work . 31 

Friskets  . 31 

Tint  Blocks . 32 

Color  Post-cards  . .  .  32 

Cover  Paper  . 33 

Embossing  (Using  Composition) . 33 

Embossing  (Straw-board)  . 35 

Embossing  a  Rule . 36 

Sinking  a  Panel . 36 

Cylinder  Press  Working  Mechanism 

Description . 38 

Placing  Press . 38 


CONTENTS 


235 


PAGE 

Foundation . 39 

Leveling . 39 

Register  Adjustments  . 40 

Bed  Adjustments . 40 

Bearer  Adjustments . 41 

Cylinder  to  Bearers . 41 

Grippers . 43 

Guides . 44 

Timing  Guides . 45 

Shoofly  Fingers . 45 

Stripper  Fingers . 46 

Drop  Guides . 46 

Cylinder  Bands . 47 

Brush  . 47 

Register  Rack . 48 

Roller  Setting . 50 

Set  Fly  (delivery) . 52 

Face-up  (delivery) . 53 

Oiling  Press  . . 56 

Air  Heads  . 56 

Care  of  Air  Heads . 57 

Starting  a  Press . 58 

Stopping  a  Press . 59 

Tripping  a  press  . 59 

Feeding  . 59 

Impressions  per  Hour  . 60 

Cleaning  Bed . ' . 60 

Cylinder  Press  Make-Ready 

Ten  Rules  . 61 

Correct  Packing . 62 

Packing  Press . 63 

Laying  the  Form  . 64 

Type  Form . 65 

Locking  on  Form . 66 

Planer  and  Use . 66 

First  Impression . 66 

Standard  Marks . 68 


236 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

Diagram  of  Form . 69 

Book  Forms . 72 

Delivery . 72 

Fountain  Setting  . 72 

Watching  Work . 73 

Work-ups  . 73 

Chases . 74 

Various  Forms  . 75 

Wash-up  . . 75 

Type  Forms  (Quick  Make-Ready) . 76 

Deckle  Edge  Stock . 76 

Type  and  Rules  (Two-colors) . 76 

Changing  Time  of  Cylinder . 78 

Springing  Grippers  . 79 

Half-tones  and  Type . 80 

Scratches  on  Cuts . 85 

Type-high  . 85 

Slur  in  Printing . 85 

Wrinkles . 86 

Slip-sheeting  Methods . 87 

Straddling  a  Cut . 87 

Electrotypes  (Two-colors) . 88 

Depth  of  Half-tones . 88 

Replacing  Bad  Letter  (Electrotype) . 89 

Split  Packing . 89 

Testing  Half-tone  Make- Ready . 89 

Cardboard  Printing . 91 

Vignette  Half-tones . 92 

Vignette  Half-tone  Illustrations . 95 

Plate  Process  Printing 

First  Requisite . 95 

Laying  Form . 96 

Packing  for  Plate  Make-Ready . 97 

Plate  Make- Ready  . 97 

Overlays 

Hand-cut  Overlays . 109 

Mechanical  Overlays . Ill 


CONTENTS  237 

PAGE 

Zinc  Overlay . Ill 

Chalk  Overlay  . . 112 

Ink  Manufacture 

Defining  Ink . 114 

Description,  What  Printing  Ink  Is . 116 

Intaglio  Printing . 117 

Surface  Printing . 117 

Typographic  Printing  . 117 

Consistency . 118 

Drying . 122 

Permanency . 125 

Vehicle . 128 

Raw  Materials  . 129 

Varnishes  . 130 

Black  Ink . 133 

Colored  Inks . 134 

Properties  of  Color . 135 

Earthy  Colors . 136 

Chemical  Colors . 136 

Lakes  . : . 137 

Body  Colors  . 143 

Practical  Use  of  Printing  Inks 

Terms . 147 

Hue . 147 

Tint . 147 

Shade . 148 

Color  Strength  . . 148 

Choosing  Combinations  of  Color  . 148 

Harmony . 149 

Mixing  Colors . .150 

Mixing  Transparent  Tints  . 150 

Covering  Capacity . 151 

Opaque  Tints . 151 

Brilliancy  of  a  Color . 151 

Gray  (How  to  Mix) . 152 

Brown . 152 

Gold  Bronze  Imitation . 152 


238 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

Silver  Imitation . 152 

Purple . 152 

Orange . 152 

Green . 152 

Tack  and  Softness . 152 

Transparency  .  153 

Opacity  . 153 

Impossible  Combinations . 153 

Varnishes . 153 

Cutting  Quality . 154 

Livering . 154 

Shortness . " . 155 

Flow  and  Length  . 155 

Permanency . 155 

Permanency  Test . 155 

Doubletone  Ink . 155 

Ink  for  Parafined  or  Oily  Stock . 158 

Printing  Solids  . 158 

Crystallized  Inks  . 158 

Reduce  Process  Inks . 158 

Chalky  Ink . 158 

Gold  Ink . 159 

Bronze  Base  . 159 

Varnish  Labels . 159 

Ordinary  Colored  Inks . 159 

Dryers . 159 

Reducers . 159 

Suitable  Combinations  (Paper  Ink  Reducer  Dryer) . 160 

Copying  Ink . 162 

Inks  to  Keep  in  Stock . 162 

Printers  Rollers 

Earliest  Rollers  . 163 

Qualities  of  Good  Rollers . 164 

Ordering . 165 

Seasoning  . 166 

Shipping . 167 

Protecting . 167 


CONTENTS 


239 


Cleaning . 

Preserving  .... 
Automatic  Feeding 

Principle . 

Cross  Feeder  .... 
Feeder  Chain  .  .  . 
Timing  with  Press  . 

Belts . 

Guards . 

Combers . 

Reels . 

Eccentric  Bushing  . 

Spring . 

Trip  Springs  .  .  . 
Delivery  Trip  .  .  . 
Tail  Clamps  .... 
Securing  Register  . . 
Paper  Making 

First  Paper  .... 
Hand  Made  Papers 

Sizing . 

Sulphite  Process  .  . 
Enamel  Paper  .  .  . 
Sequence  of  Processes 

Character . 

Comparative  Weights 
Cutting  Stock  .  .  . 
Cover  Paper  .  .  . 

Bleeding . 

Collating . 

Dummy  . 

Counting . 

Jogging . 

Hand  Composition 
Setting  Type  .  .  . 
Words  to  Square  Inch 
Sizes . . 


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.  199 


